Computers are vastly complex devices that are becoming more and more complex each passing generation. Unfortunately this means that many people may be unable to keep up with the growing knowledge-base that may be required to operate even the most simplest of applications. Whilst the top computing vendors are working towards a more simplified system that anybody can pick up and use, computing is still almost as complex as it was 15 years ago.
This is where the HOMEKEY comes into the situation. A basic USB stick that you plug into your computer that has everything you need in a simplistic interface that can be easily accessed as needed is probably something that many users will be looking for. The device is designed to run on nearly any working computer and that means that even older machines may be able to run it’s applications.
The device runs an Operating System known as ENVELOPE by circumventing the HDD as the boot device and going straight into the 16GB USB. ENVELOPE is based on Linux Mint and offers a very simplified User Interface that is uncluttered and points straight to the tools that the end user will use on a regular basis. All work is stored on the stick.
The RRP of the HOMEKEY is £69.95 without support and £89.95 with support. The simplicity software comes with pre-loaded video tutorials and a step-by-step colour manual covering every task you can do in the beginner mode.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition Developer: CDProjekt Red Publisher: Warner Bros. Games Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC Release Date: April 17, 2012 Price: $59.99 (Available Here)
Overview
It’s not every day that an RPG like The Witcher 2 comes around. The gritty, realistic world is portrayed is more reminiscent of Game of Thrones than it is Warcraft, and everything from the themes, to the politics, and, yes, to the sex, makes it a game that earns its Mature rating. The Witcher stunned reviewers and players last year when it launched on PC, but does the same ring true for the newly released Xbox 360 version? Or is this yet another poor attempt at cashing in on a port?
Story
The Witcher 2 puts you firmly in the boots of Geralt the monster hunter, otherwise known as a Witcher. When Geralt becomes involved in plots that involve military invasions, regicides, and some subtler subversions of power, he quickly starts making big decisions and fighting world-altering battles.
The various regions of Aedirn, Temeria, and Vergen are each unique in their culture. For example, Vergen is a dwarven mining town, and you can tell. The disgruntled miners are much more uncouth than the people in the more civilized villages of the game, and the entire geography of the town is based upon connecting it with its central quarry. Decisions such as that can hinder gameplay when you’re running around trying to find people, but the payoff is that the world just feels real. You’ll become fully immersed in the reality of The Witcher 2, and there’s no shortage of side-stories and characters around, and some of these can be as interesting as the plot threads wound by the main story.
Along the way, Geralt will be confronted with some major decisions, but there’s no morality meter here. The Witcher 2 intentionally keeps the questions it asks of Geralt and your/his moral fiber in the gray area, and presents the consequences of those in game. For example, the aforementioned town of Vergen can be ruled out of someone’s game almost entirely based on a choice made earlier in the game. Instead, that part of Geralt’s journey will take them to another part of the world entirely. Additionally, during high-pressure situations, like a battle, there’s a limited time to make your decisions, which means you’ll be going with your gut reaction a lot more often than you would in other games that freeze entirely when the conversation options pop up.
All in all, The Witcher 2 weaves a fantastic, mature yarn that will keep you wrapped up in it right to the very end.
Gameplay
Combat is the bread and butter of a Witcher: there are all manner of beasties to be sliced and people who are “monsters” (kind of a cop out, but I let that one slide) to be diced.
Thankfully, The Witcher 2 is an action-based RPG; a port to Xbox involving quickslot bars and thirty different action buttons might have been a little hard to pull off, but the game transfers over fantastically thanks to its focus on moment-to-moment action. This is no mindless button-masher, however. The difficulty of The Witcher 2 can be brutal even on easy, and the game heavily emphasizes a flow through combat. Dodging, striking, parrying, casting magic, striking again – you won’t survive if you don’t vary your tactics and stay in constant motion, Geralt may be a heavily enhanced monster-hunter, but he’s still a sack of meat and can easily get overwhelmed if he gets himself surrounded or knocked to the ground.
To help you dominate you foes rather than barely surviving them, the game’s implemented several crafting systems. Alchemy allows Geralt to create potions from ingredients he can buy or find, and each potion has its benefits. Geralt can also create oils for his swords which will allow for greater damage or bleeding effects, and there’s also bombs and traps to be made. In short, if you invest in Geralt’s arsenal, he can become a god of the battlefield. That is not to say that combat becomes less challenging, but the more tools you have to overcome a problem, the likelier it is you’ll emerge unscathed on the other side.
Oh and there are boss fights. Would a Witcher truly be a monster-hunter if he cowed from the bigger (literally) challenges? These encounters range from interesting and challenging to boring, “please beat down my health bar” affairs, and you’ll occasionally question their necessity. It doesn’t happen to often, but the game can have pacing issues at the culmination of some quests, wherein you’ll be grinding through wave after wave of enemies or a less-than-interesting boss fight just begging to hit the next plot point. Though that serves as a testament to the power of The Witcher 2‘s story.
But The Witcher 2 is an RPG at heart, so combat is only half the experience. Almost literally.
I found myself spending as much time talking to people in town as I did slaying monsters. Beyond just learning more about the world and completing side-quests, careful exploration if the hub worlds can lead to rewards in the form of new gear, plot-related tidbits, arm-wrestling and boxing minigames, and humorous Easter eggs (such as a clever reference to The Lord of the Rings in one of the Vergen side-quests). Oh and sex.
Getting to know the characters who are friends of Geralt is an adventure in itself, and they’ll often be included in main story or side missions, marking their importance to Geralt, and to you as a player. When they get into trouble, you genuinely worry about them, and that’s something the design team over at CDProjekt should be very proud of.
Audio & Visual
The Witcher 2 was easily one of the best looking PC games ever to be released, but there are definitely fewer bells and whistles on the Xbox, particularly with regards to the lighting. Texture pop-in is also frustratingly common, even if you do install the game onto your hard drive. It’ll occasionally happen in-cutscene when the camera cuts to a character, and then when the camera returns to him/her later on in the same cutscene it will happen again.
There’s also the black wall of a loading screen as you pass between areas, and though the load times are generally bearable, it would have been nice to be given something to stare at other than the empty blackness currently present in game. It does a lot to hurt the immersion so well established by the game’s story and design.
Those complaints aside, The Witcher 2 is still a gorgeous game and the sound design is also top notch. The sounds, themes, and voice-acting are all of a generally high quality. Though it’s easy to see that the game was created by non-English speakers as the timing of jokes or sarcastic comments from characters can sometimes feel a little off. Regardless, the game has wonderful production values and it is definitely one of the better looking games on the console. Just not the best looking.
Overall
The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition for the Xbox 360 set out to bring an amazing PC experience to the home console, and, in most cases, that experience has been well and truly preserved. If you enjoy mature stories (a la Game of Thrones), decisions with consequences, hardcore action games, or good games in general, do yourself a favour and get The Witcher 2. It will provide you with hours upon hours of great gameplay and narrative, and at the end you’ll be pining for more.
The case on your iPhone 4/4s is just as much of a statement about you as it protects your devices from scratches and impact. Most cases tend to favour the safe colours of black and white, while a few brave others leap into bling and glitter with reckless abandon. But what if you want to break out of the black and white trend but aren’t ready to use your iPhone case as an emergency disco ball? Bodyguardz not only has your phone covered, it has your sense of style covered to.
The Bodyguardz MyKase is a customizable slider style case for the iPhone 4/4s. The base package is available in either matte black or gloss white. Both base packages include one matte black, one glossy white, and one glossy yellow back plate. The base package is available for $29.95 and additional back plates in other colours are available separately for purchase for $9.95 each. If you’re unhappy with just a single coloured background or you really want to make the MyKase the extra personal flair, custom back plates are available through Bodyguardz’s website for $19.95. You can put any image or design onto the back plate as long as the image isn’t copyrighted.
The MyKase is constructed out of solid plastic with rubber strips on the inside of the case to ensure the case keeps a tight grip on your iPhone. To install the MyKase onto your phone, simply separate the larger top half of the case from the bottom half of the case, slide your preferred back plate into the outside slot of the MyKase, your phone in the larger inner slot of the MyKase and carefully slide the smaller lower half into place. The bottom hole cut into the case for the 30 pin docking port will fit the Apple sync cable your phone came with, but the older larger sync cables and third party cables may have problems. The case is also too big for most docks. These situations are the times that slider cases really shine. Simply whip off the bottom half of the MyKase and dock your phone, once you’re ready to go, pull your phone off the cable or the dock and slip the bottom half of the case on. The choice to use a smaller bottom half and adding rubber strips to the inside of the case makes it quick and easy to get unhindered access to the 30 pin docking port.
There is one large hole on the side of the phone to accommodate the mute slider switch and the volume buttons. Because one large hole is cut instead of two, the MyKase is compatible with both versions of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4s. On the top of the case is two holes cut for access to the sleep/wake button and the headphone jack. There is enough room to comfortably depress the sleep/wake button without exposing too much of the phone. I really appreciate the roomy cut out for the headphone jack. The hole is large enough to accommodate almost every headset plug I could throw at it. The only headset jack that failed to fit without modification was the Shure SE215 plug. However the iPhone compatible wiring for the Shure SE215 fit just fine. Larger jacks designed for high end headphones and canalphones may have some trouble fitting the hole in the MyKase and will need either modification to slim the plugs or an adapter. There is a very generous camera hole cut out in the case. In my testing, it does not interfere with the operation of the camera or the flash, even using the white case.
The MyKase feels really good in the hand and extremely sturdy. The plastic used in the case doesn’t feel cheap and only bends slightly when pressure is applied. There is a nice lip in the case that provides protection for your screen when you lay it down on a table screen down. It’s generous enough to give a good bit of clearance from the table but not so high as to get in the way of using the screen. Although glossy back plates look great, I chose to stick with the matte black back plate because I am absolutely in love with the matte texture. When I first touched the back plate I was almost sure I was touching some sort of microfiber fabric until closer inspection. The matte hides fingerprints like a champ and adds a little bit of grip to the case. I would have love to see matte finish be made available in other colours I love the feel of it so much. Swapping back plates is a cinch as you just need to pop off the bottom of the case, pull out the old back plate, and slide in the new one, and then replace the bottom of the case. Although I tend to favour sticking to one colour combination for weeks on end until I get sick of it, those who want their case to match their outfit will appreciate this fast switch.
One thing I did notice is that thicker wet apply type screen protectors will make for a tight fit. Bodyguardz recommends using one of their screen protectors that are case compatible. These screen shields are cut slightly smaller to accommodate cases. However, using one of the thickest screen shields on the market, I was still able to slide in my iPhone 4 with a little force and very mild bubbling of the screen shield. Taking it off was a completely different story. The bottom half came off easily enough, but taking off the top half initially it required two people to coax the iPhone out of the case. But once I realized I simply needed to pull back very gently on the top lip of the case, I was able to slide my phone out of the case with a little pressure but without assistance. I tested another iPhone 4 with an anti-glare static cling type screen shield and it was able to slide off and on with ease with zero bubbling.
Overall Bodyguardz has a great product in the MyKase. The case is solid, is easily customizable, is compatible with a great deal of headphone jacks, and if you’re willing to take off the bottom of the case, is compatible with many docks and sync cables. Both the matte black and glossy white base packages are a great choice, but if I had to choose one over the other, then I’d pick the matte black hands down. That matte texture is an absolute winner. At $29.95 for a case and three back plates, the Bodyguardz MyKase is a good deal. However the extra back plates at $9.95 feel a little steep to me. I’d be a little more willing to spend $19.95 for a custom back plate to really make the MyKase mine. If you are looking for an easily customized case to fit your fashion needs, then the MyKase should be on the top of your list.
Only a development team like Bethesda can upload one image to their Facebook page and simply say one word… “Tomorrow” and set the internet aflame with rumors as everyone tries to analyze the above image and see what exactly will be announced or revealed tomorrow.
The picture shown above shows a male character in what appears to be CGI rendered. The announcement of the first Skyrim DLC would certainly please fans, though it is worth noting that the first two DLC packs are exclusive to the Xbox 360 for 30 days before they can be released on the PC and PS3.
Do you believe this announcement will be some Skyrim DLC? Perhaps a new Fallout game? Or something else entirely?
While most of us in North America can run out to our local GameStop or major video game retailer and play the Gravity Rush demo that is set up on all of their demo Vita stands, what about playing the game’s demo on your very own handheld? Well, you still have to wait a little bit but the good news is a downloadable demo is indeed on the way.
A Sony representative spoke with Joystiq to reveal that the demo would be released to North American PlayStation Vitas on May 29th which is only a couple of weeks before the game’s actual release date in June.
Today Sentai Filmworks announced that they have acquired the license to release the Medaka Box anime series both on home video and stream it through “select digital outlets soon.” At the moment they did not go into detail as to whether or not the anime will be given an English dub nor if it will be released on Blu-ray.
For those who don’t know, Medaka Box is an anime adaptation of the manga of the same name which is written by NisiOisin. The story follows the student council president Medaka who possesses near god-like power. The Student Council will take any requests for help via a suggestion box, this includes multiple life risking challenges that the whole student council must take on, including Zenkichi, Akune and Kikajima.
Capcom has revealed that they will be releasing a playable demo for Dragon’s Dogma next week on April 24th on the Xbox 360 with a PlayStation 3 demo being released on April 25th. In the demo players will be able to try out two of the game’s character classes including a Fighter and a Strider.
Players will be able to take out a party of three pawns and themselves to face off against two separate monster missions. While being able to test out the game’s gameplay is obviously the key feature to the demo, players will also be able to fully customize both their main character and main pawn in the demo and when the game is fully released, players can transfer their created character into it, allowing players to create their character now and jump into the game faster when it is released on May 22nd.
It’s been two weeks since the kickstarter went up for Jane Jenson’s Pinkerton Road Studio GSC project. So far they have passed the halfway mark of the goal and there are still 32 days to go. However, all the current backers have already got to have a hand in the decision making process and have decided the first game the studio will produce. With 61% of the votes, the first game will be Moebius.
Moebius is a metaphysical sci-fi thriller like Jane’s earlier Gabriel Knight series. It will tell the story of Malachi Rector, an antiquities dealer who tracks artifacts all over the world. After a fire in Rector’s store, he is hired by a millionaire to investigate a series of events that leads him to discover the millionaire and his associates are playing with the very fabric of life. Will Rector follow the path set for him or try and break free? Moebius is slated to release March 2013, if the kickstarter can reach it’s goal, so check it out HERE.
Reef Entertainment announced today that they’re bringing a new game to the European Nintendo 3DS eShop this Summer. Alien Chaos 3D is not your normal shooter game, featuring weapons from a Peashooter to an Explosive Flaming Chainsaw Shotgun. The game stars Really Shooter, a part-time commando, who works full-time at a cleaning service with Poor Mama. When aliens start to attack, Really has to fight to stop them, but that’s not all, as he has to clean up after himself to earn points from Poor Mama.
Enemies include a variety of robotic animals from robo-boxing kangaroos, to hedgehogs with rocket spikes, to shield-totting hippos. The 3D effects include explosions, smoke, and debris across the game’s 5 chapters, 30 levels, and 5 bosses. In addition, Street Pass will allow players to trade high scores with friends and other players to see how well you’ve cleaned up. Watch out for it this Summer.
Iceberg Interactive and Gaijin Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing Blades of Time: Limited Edition this May for PC and Mac. Released for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 back in March, the Limited Edition, in addition to the game, includes: Dismal Swamp DLC, Sky Islands Map for Outbreak mode (PC/Mac Exclusive), PDF Blades of Time Art Book, Wallpapers, and MP3 Soundtrack.
Blades of Time tells the story of Ayumi, a treasure hunter armed with a rifle and sword, as she explores a mysterious island. Discover secrets and obtain powers to aid her as she makes her way to try and escape the island. Featuring hack-and-slash gameplay and interesting characters, Blades of Time: Limited Edition will be coming to PC and Mac in retail stores in parts of Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and South Africa, but will be available through digital distribution as well.
