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Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ – Wii Review

Chris Reyes
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Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ – Wii Review

Perpipheral Name: Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+
Platform: Wii
Publisher: Snakebyte USA
Price: $34.99

While Nintendo just released a new Wii Remote Plus that includes the Wii Motion Plus built into it, Snakebyte released this little diddy back in April 2010 in Europe, and just a month ago here in the States. Normally I’m not one for third party controllers, but this one intrigued me as it was the first to the market that does something the original didn’t. When I got my hands on it, I liked the design. Most third party designs are pretty ugly, but this one was pretty damn good looking, and it fits in perfectly with my official Nintendo remotes. It also came with a couple of rechargeable batteries, with a mini-USB slot by the controller port at the bottom of the remote for easy charging (it also came with a mini-USB cable!) But how does it play?

Well, I put it to the test. I started up the Wii, sync’d it quite easily, and then my first gripe came up. As I’m wagging it around I can hear the vibrating motor loudly, and the noises from the speaker were kind of low quality. This isn’t a deal breaker, because the cursor is moving to every spot I point the remote to easily and at the same time I’m pointing it, there was no lag to speak of. The time to surf the menu is over, now let’s play some games.

The first game I played with it was Sonic the Hedgehog 4, so I held it sideways and ran through the paces with it. The buttons were responsive, the motion controlled nicely during the special stages, but one thing bothered me: the vibration was pretty loud, more annoying than on the menu. It wasn’t even that the controller shook more than a normal Wii Remote would, the motor was just really loud when shaking in that light plastic. It was distracting while playing solo, but I had my friend use it while we played New Super Mario Bros. Wii and it was even more distracting for me.

As for single player games, I tried it out in a more motion controlled game: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. I started a new game, and after sitting through the thirty minute opening sequence I got into the game and started swinging up and down, and I gotta say in a more active game where you get lost in both the action and the story the vibrating becomes less distracting, and the controller works wonderfully. I was able to run around and slash enemies and totally immerse myself in the game without even thinking about the controller.

Now I needed to try it with a more multiplayer motion controlled game, so out came Wii Sports. Me and a few friends played, and I had one of them use the Snakebyte so I could see if it would be distracting like it was in Mario. It wasn’t as big of a distraction, but it was very noticeable, and somewhat annoying. It’s not as big a deal in a game where you’re taking turns as it is when you’re playing at the same time, so Wii Sports is a good type of game to play multiplayer with this remote. Of course, I took the remote and it was very responsive as we played Wii Sports. In terms of responsiveness, it’s up there with the actual Wii Remote itself.

In short, at the end of the day the Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ is a great alternative to the Wii Remote Plus from Nintendo. It does exactly what it’s supposed to, and while it may feel a little light, and the vibration motor may be a little loud, it’s definitely a good controller. I highly recommend this for anyone who can use an extra Wii Remote in their household and doesn’t want to shell out the big bucks for the official Nintendo model. It’s a very welcome member of my Wii family!

Pros

  • Sleak, affordable alternative to Nintendo’s Wii Remote Plus
  • Rechargeable out of the box!
  • Very responsive

Cons

  • Vibrating motor is pretty distracting, especially when someone else uses it.
  • Plastic feels a little cheap

8-5-capsules-out-of-10

Halo Reach’s New Map DLC – Trailers and Commentary

J. Bradshaw
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Halo Reach is on of the best games to hit the Xbox 360 console this year and the experience just keeps on growing.  On November 30, 2010, Bungie will release a brand new map pack, the Noble Map Pack, that includes three original and unique maps for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).  The three maps are called Tempest, Breakpoint and Anchor 9.  Breakpoint is the largest of the maps and Anchor 9 is the smallest one. But the DLC guys at Bungie do a much better job covering all the fantastic maps and you can watch their humorous, insightful commentary below.  Enjoy and I will see you online on the 30th.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC-Qncg6kV8[/pro-player]

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYUgGAUHl8Y&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6a2lXFsCM&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

Bungie Joins Black Friday Pandemonium

J. Bradshaw
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Bungie Aerospace is dropping some new stuff onto the masses on Black Friday.  Here is the lists, pictures and links.  Pretty sweet stuff, eh?

  • Bungie Aerospace Tee
  • Greetings from Aerospace Tee
  • Per Audacia Ad Astra Tee
  • Aerospace Baseball Tee
  • Superintendent Ornament

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=news&cid=29872

They are also discounting a lot of merchandise, including the following:

  • All Bonobo tees (was $19.00, now $12.99)
  • All Property of Bungie tees (was $19.00, now $12.99)
  • All Many Moods tees (was $19.00, now $12.99)
  • All Superintendent tees (was $19.99, now $14.99)
  • All Bungie Classic Ringer tees (was $19.99, now $14.99)
  • All Marathon Black Hoodies (was $39.99, now $19.99)
  • Bungie Crest Flashlight (was $9.99, now $7.99)

These deals are only available from the 26th to the 28th, so hurry.  As a final note, does anybody have any explanations as to what exactly Bungie Aerospace is?  I know it is a trademark, but any clues as to its real identity/purpose?  A quick Google search turned up no answers for me.

Beta for Unreal Engine available to download

J. Bradshaw
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It is hard to believe that graphics can get any better.  Eventually, there will be no point to upgrading graphics because it would be impossible to make out any differences.  Regardless, the guys behind the Unreal Engine feel there is still much to be done and they have released the beta for download.  Anybody can download it or the full stable version at the official website for free! They have also put together a trailer showing off all the cool new options coming.  Has anybody here messed around with it or created any amazing creations?  Share them with us!

In Russia, Dolls Stack YOU! – New game from THQ & Double Fine

J. Bradshaw
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In Russia, Dolls Stack YOU! – New game from THQ & Double Fine

Ah, Double Fine, your wacky inspired ideas keep on coming and we keep on loving them.  Their next adventure lets you take on the role of a a very small  Russian nesting doll named Charlie Blackmore.  He has been separated from his family and he needs to reunite.  How does one tiny matryoshka make his way across a dangerous world?  By hopping into other dolls and taking them over of course.  If that sounds strange, it is.  It is also very unique and, quite frankly, awesome.

One way that Double Fine plans to change up the game is that puzzles can solved in various ways with different options.  In the trailer below, you can woo a guard using a lady doll, or you could sneak past him with a different doll.  One other original feature in the game is the ability to keep stacking different dolls on top of yourself.  You will only be able to use the outermost doll’s “powers” but you can unstack and restack to get the doll you want.  Look for Stacking to hit on XBLA and PSN in 2011.

Martin Good, Executive Vice President, THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games, and Global Online Services said,“Stacking is distinctive in its overall cinematic look as well as its approach to puzzle solving, and we believe the game will appeal to both the casual and hardcore video game player.  We are pleased to expand our library of digital download offerings and do so with high-quality games from the wonderfully creative team at Double Fine Productions.”

Double Fine Productions founder and CEO Tim Schafer says, “We’re really excited to be doing another game with THQ, building on the success we had with Costume Quest, and delivering another great adventure told in an entirely new way. What Lee has created with Stacking is something truly awesome – a game with a great story and puzzles, and a completely fresh method for interacting with them both.”

Costume Quest DLC- Grubbins on Ice coming soon

J. Bradshaw
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Costume Quest, a Double Fine game that released just last month, will be getting some DLC this winter.  The original game focused on Halloween, so it is only reasonable that this one will focus on Christmas.  New and old costumes will be available and the game will feature some much needed patches like pausing during cutscenes and saving your game at designated phone posts.  The best part of the DLC?  It will be around the same length of the actual game.

Look out for the DLC in December on XBLA and PSN.  Costume Quest was a very good game that featured a rather intriguing gameplay element.  If you want to read our review, go here.

To see the Trailer, go to Gamespot.com here.

Lara Croft: a patch for PSN & Steam

J. Bradshaw
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Hey, you remember that one game that released in August?  It had this female character that found treasure and fought monsters?  Oh yea, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light was the game.  The patch and free DLC has already found its path to the Xbox Live Marketplace and Crystal Dynamics recently announced that the patch is ready to download on your Playstation 3 and PC via Steam.  So put those magic rabbits working in your ISP to work and hop on over to receive your patch and free downloadable content.

Amnesia: Dark Descent – hilarity

Justin Mienkiewicz
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Amnesia: Dark Descent – hilarity

Alright, for those of you who don’t know, Amnesia: Dark Descent is a scary game for the PC.  A VERY scary game.  You are tasked with traversing a game where as you turn a corner in this dilapidated and run down house you might notice some otherworldly creature running just out of sight.  Unsure what to do, you might either try to A) follow it to see what it was so you know to avoid it in the future (unlikely) or B) run away screaming like mad until you find a nice, cozy corner wimper in.  Option B is likely your choice because in this game, you have no force with which to fend off these terrifying creatures, making them even scarier because this means you will likely not get to know your enemy very well. If you even THINK you see or hear something that isn’t you slowly creeping around the vicinity, you run away screaming like your life depends on it.

In most other scary games, you generally have SOMETHING to fight back with, meaning you need to figure out how to gird you loins, grow a tremendous beard and go toe to toe with those bastards.  In this game, however, you are defenseless, you must get through it by hiding and hoping the enemy doesn’t notice you out of the corner of it’s eye and then comes running at you to bite your nipples off and/or devour your face.  As you might imagine, this makes for a moderately traumatic experience.  I’ll be the first one to admit that I can’t play scary games alone and even when I have another person with me, THEY need to be the one holding the controller during the scary parts.  Don’t know why it matters who’s holding the controller, it just does.  IT JUST DOES.  The only reason I got through Dead Space is because my friend did most of the work while I directed.  And by directed I mean shouting and yelling to go the hell down that corridor and stop trying to coerce another creature to leave its hiding spot and try to kill you.

As awesome as Amnesia looks, I don’t think I’ll ever play it.  Maybe one day I’ll be feeling particularly adventurous and purchase the game, but you can bet I won’t get farther than 10 minutes before I dissolve into a bubbling puddle of fear and terror while frantically mashing alt+F4 to get the abomination off my screen.  Luckily though!  I have found a video of somebody who probably has the same reaction I would have while playing the game, and it is hilarious.  Ever see a video showing somebody playing “that game” where after a few seconds a big, scary face pops up on the screen and the victim then proceeds freak the hell out.  Anyways, watch this (also embedded) for some laughs at another persons expense.  Warning: there is some “language” and might not be for those who are particularly jumpy.

Enjoy

Free AC: Brotherhood DLC updates the Animus Project

Travis Bruno
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Free AC: Brotherhood DLC updates the Animus Project

Ubisoft has announced that they will be bringing out DLC to Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood for the first time and it is coming at the price of free. Yep you heard it right the upcoming DLC will be entirely free. But what will said DLC come with? Well unfortunately nothing new for the single player mode but it does bring with it a couple of add-ons for the game’s multiplayer mode.

Being called the Animus Project Update 1.0 and with a December 14th release date on the 360 and PSN it will include a brand new game mode that is called Advanced Alliance. Unfortunately it isn’t exactly brand new as it is more or less Alliance Mode but given a harder difficulty. The reason that it is harder is because rather than two teams, it will consist of three teams of two assassins competing.

Another addition is the incorporation of a brand new map to do your assassinations on. The new map will be called Mont Saint-Michel and is “located on a rocky tidal island of Normandy in France.” The map will feature narrow streets with tall bell towers and a multi-leveled design which means plenty of assassinations will be of the aerial variety.

Sebastien Puel the executive producer of Ubisoft Montreal had this to say about the DLC:

“We are very thrilled to be able to offer the first Multiplayer DLC for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood for absolutely free. We wanted to say thank you to our fans for making Brotherhood such a huge success its opening week. We are very proud of the unique and innovative Multiplayer mode it offers, and hope the fans enjoy the new content.”

Yakuza 4 trailer shows the funside of the yakuza world

Travis Bruno
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Yakuza 4 trailer shows the funside of the yakuza world

Nothing shows how tough a guy is like walking in the rain with no umbrella while everyone else is hiding under those little bits of plastic and cloth to not get wet. But that isn’t just what signifies the power of a Yakuza man, what does though? Well you will have to watch and find out!

One thing we know about Yakuza 4 is that it will contain the same Japanese voice work that the Yakuza series is known for keeping, that means that fans of the series won’t have to worry about Sega providing any English dubbing ruining what fans of the series love. But then again I wouldn’t mind having the same voiceover guy from the trailer working on Yakuza 4 for voiceover work.

Also released from Sega is the news that there will be only a small amount of cuts to the game when it reaches Western shores, though what exactly has been cut hasn’t been listed. From the trailer below though it looks like they kept most of these things in, such as the hostess hangouts, sake hangouts, and even minigames with girls.

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