Highly anticipated new flagship, Nokia N8 mobile phone have finally been announced officially by Nokia with a bang. The specs are very impressive and will surely win many people’s hearts as it truly can replace multiple portable multimedia / camera devices and be a phone as well. Nokia N8 will be available starting Q3 this year.
First, let’s get straight to its features and highlights:
– ARM-11 680MHz CPU with dedicated GPU (rumoured to be this) and 256MB of RAM.
– 3.5 inch 16:9 capacitive touch OLED screen with 640 x 360 resolution
– 12 megapixel camera with wide angle 28mm f2.8 Carl Zeiss lense (35mm equivalent) and bright xenon flash. The camera sensor size is bigger than most similar sized digital cameras and mobile phones. This equates to better low light photos and better image quality. It has face detectiona and red-eye removal.
– 720p HD resolution video recording at 25 frames per second using H.264 codec with stereo sound. (5.1 Dolby Digital Plus during playback)
– 16GB built-in memory + microsd card slot (currently up to 32GB available)
– Wirelss support 802.11 b/g/n and HSDPA up to 10.2mbps
– USB-on-the-go also known as USB host capability (FAT32 support only so far) and Bluetooth 3.0 support. (USB adapter is included)
– 3.5mm av socket, HDMI output (video and photo in 720P, rest is upscaled) and MicroUSB for data and charging.
– Built-in FM transmitter (as well as receiver for radio), compass (magnetometer) and orientation sensor (accelrometer).
– GPS and A-GPS with free for life Nokia OVI Maps with voice guided GPS navigation
– A new Symbian ^3 OS with enhanced user interface, 3 customizable home screens and pinch-to-zoom support. (screen animation running at up to a butter smooth 60fps)
– Hardware accelerated Flash 10 support for youtube etc directly from web browser.
– Extended battery life with 76hours of video playback via HDMI, over 3 hours video record, 12 hours of talk time and up to 50 hours music playback. Intresting thing to note, the battery is not replaceable by the user. (like the iPhone)
Personally, this is one impressive device. Nokia crammed it with as much as they can for this one it and doesn’t disappoint looking at the specs. This is the first Symbian^3 device so I cannot yet comment much on its useability software wise. But Nokia has released plenty of videos to show off its talent. Here’s an introduction video from Nokia.
Sample photos in full 12MP resolution and sample HD video taken with the N8 has also been let loose by Nokia. Go check them out!
Many people floccinaucinihilipilificate pre-order bonuses, and the naughty bear pre-order won’t make any floccinaucinihilipilificater think any differently. But you have to admit, the costume is pretty sweet.
Purchasers in the UK will also get a Freddy Krueger costume.
Microsoft announced a live action short for Halo: Reach and everyone (most everyone) got real excited. The ODST live action short graced our eyes with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus (I did not make up that word, Shakespeare used it so I can too!) of awesomely prodigious epic wonderfulness, and because of this the Reach trailer was looked forward to by many. It seems the trailer has disappointed; however, and is lacking in the action department which so many wanted to see.
Don’t take my word for it though, check out the 1 minute short below or download the 2 minute extended version on your Xbox 360. Queue it up here, but you aren’t missing a lot if you don’t.
Looks like THQ is providing an early demo release for UFC Undisputed 2010, and that demo will be available this Thursday on April 29th. However it is not so simple to receive the demo, there is some work involved as any true fighter knows. Though this work is much less than your standard training regimen in any MMA Gym. All it takes is a few keystrokes and you will be on your way to beating down other fighters ahead of schedule.
UFC Undisputed 2010 has announced on their community blog that the way to obtain an early access demo code is to simply be a member of their community site. Details listed below:
The Demo will be available for you to download in the Community AT NO COST TO YOU beginning this Thursday, April 29th but will be limited to ONE CODE PER PERSON for either Xbox Live or PSN.
PLEASE NOTE THAT IN ORDER TO GET YOUR FREE CODE TO DOWNLOAD THE DEMO, YOU MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ENTERED INTO YOUR PROFILE:
* State
* Country
In order to edit your Profile information, click on your Username on the top right corner of the Community, then click the “Edit Account” tab and add this information before Thursday so you don’t miss out.
From all appearances they have unlimited amounts of codes, but I still wouldn’t take my time in registering. I’ve already signed up to receive the demo code, you should too! You can skip right to this linkhere to be taken straight to the registration page if you so wish. The demo will include everything which was stated before in our previous posting here.
NAMCO BANDAI’s Crime-Action game Dead to Rights : Retribution has hit stores nationwide and is available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Jack is back with his canine Shadow as your thrusted into a mature neo-noir crime drama. Dead To Rights introduces an innovative combat system that blends third person shooting and hand to hand brawling action.
Check out the official PRESS RELEASE after the break for more information :
Nintendo announces that from tomorrow, 29 April 2010, Wii™ – the biggest selling home console of the current generation – will be available for only SRP $AU299.95* ($NZ399.95 SRP). This is the first time Wii has received a price drop in Australia and New Zealand, Previously Wii was SRP $AU399.95 ($NZ499.95).
Wii comes in white, or the recently released sleek black, and comes packaged with Wii™ Sports. Wii Sports includes five sports – boxing, tennis, baseball, bowling and golf, and is suitable for the whole family. Players can use their own Mii caricatures – a unique feature to Wii – in Wii Sports and play their Miis against their friends’ Miis for a more personalised experience.
Also available 29 April is Monster Hunter™ Tri for Wii. Monster Hunter Tri comes as a standalone game, or bundled with the new Classic Controller Pro, available in black to match the new black Wii! Monster Hunter Tri allows online play and players can also use the Wii Speak™ accessory, allowing players to speak to other Monster Hunter Tri players during game play! As well as fun new games such as Monster Hunter Tri, Wii has a great back catalogue of games for all ages, from the follow up to the popular Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort™, to Wii Fit™ – the biggest selling game two years in a row in 2008 and 2009, the follow up to Wii Fit – Wii Fit™ Plus, Mario Kart™ Wii and the classic side scrolling action of New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii.
Wii has currently sold over 1.79 million** consoles in Australia since launch. *Based on currency conversion as at 20 April 2010
** Sales data collected by Nintendo from retail partner reporting
Xbox360Leaker has posted the above picture on his imageshack account. The picture contains an unknown game called ‘Project Berkley II,’ which is nothing to interesting until you see that the icon to the left of the name is Ryou’s head.
Ryo Hakazuki was the main protagonist of SEGA’s Shenmue games which were released for the Dreamcast in 1999 and saw much popularity on the system which later was discontinued. The possibility that Shenmue may make it’s way onto the Xbox 360 and PS3 is possible however, as Sega has said themselves that they will increase their focus of digital downloads in the immediate future.
SEGA has announced no plans for such a game, and therefor this picture and information can be taken with as much truth as you may want it to. Until we hear some sort of news from SEGA themselves, there is no certain release announced. However I still own Shenmue on the Dreamcast and loved the way it was set up and played as an adventure game. I’m positive that if it were to be released on the XBLA, it would see a large hit in popularity and downloads.
Super Street Fighter IV Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Platforms: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3 (Reviewed) Release Date: April 27th, 2010
ROUND TWO… FIGHT !!!!
Capcom’s Super Street Fighter IV is back for another round. It won the first perfectly, and also taking with it the fighting game of the year in 2009. It’s return revolutionised and rebooted the series as Capcom had taken a daring move from 2D game play to a semi 3D feel and magically pulled off the impossible. Graphically Street Fighter IV looked stunning, the 25 characters included in the game were amazing to watch with their combat animations. This was something no one had ever seen before, especially when executing super moves. Street Fighter fans around the world rejoiced and celebrated as Street Fighter IV Ha-Do-Ken’d it’s way into their hearts once again.
The amount of new content added to Street Fighter IV was massive, a cool animated storyline was added to all of the characters, with a introduction and end game movie once the player completed the game. A full length anime movie, enough game modes to keep you busy for hours, and not to mention what makes Street Fighter, the online game play, where you could take on anyone from around the world and teach them a lesson in manners and beat the living snot out of them.
The great thing about Street Fighter IV was that you didn’t have to be a legendary hardcore experienced Street Fighter fan to pick up and play it. Ultra’s and Super’s were very simple to perform and with the adjustable game mode difficulties even new comers could get to see what all the fuss was about with this superb fighting game. But as you all know with all fighting games and especially Street Fighter IV if you wanted to really succeed and make your way to the top of the mountain you have to master and I don’t mean Ken MASTERS, but actually master and learn every single little trick in the book to truly out perform, outplay and outwitt your opponent not just the AI opponent but your online opponent as that is where the bragging rights are earned and the respect is gained.
Specials, Ultra’s, Super’s, Combo’s + Ultra’s, Combo’s + Super’s, Combo’s + Supers + Focus + Kitchen sink moves must all need to be mastered, learned and performed subconsciously. You must transform yourself into RYU. He trains every day of his life to perfect his martial arts. The fight is all he seeks moving from one tournament to the next. With Street Fighter IV if you want to be a legend you must be dedicated, have patience, control your inner emotions, be willing to learn from your mistakes and move on to fight another battle. Blood, sweat and tears is a must if you want to make it to the top !!!
The control system in Super Street Fighter IV is the same as Street Fighter IV, it’s compatible with the Street Fighter arcade sticks and players can change button configurations to best suit their game style. One great new feature with Super Street Fighter IV is that all the characters in the game have new ultra combos, these are fantastic to watch and they’re much easier to pull off than they were in Street Fighter IV. This once again allows new comers to step into the action and fight like a pro in no time.
The Street Fighter IV soundtrack includes all the original tracks along with some new ones. As you were able to do with Street Fighter IV you can switch between original Japanese and English voice acting, I personally love the original Japanese voice as they sound far more superior than the English dubbed ones. This is of course personal choice and doesn’t affect the overall performance of the game what so ever.
One thing Street Fighter IV was lacking was bonus stages, who’s idea was it to NOT include the car stage. My heart sank when I found out there was not car stage in Street Fighter IV. But let me tell you ladies and gentlemen Capcom have brought it back due to popular demand the car bonus level is back and you can smash the living snot out it. Along with the car bonus level, the original barrel level that appears later on in the game has also made its come back. The only one that’s missing is the final bonus level which has you destroying the fire drums on Zangief’s stage in Russia. But we can’t complain. The CAR IS BACK !!
Super Street Fighter IV has the biggest roster in any Street Fighter game. A total of 35 characters are available right from the start. YES you don’t have to unlock any of them, they are available for you to use straight away as soon as you press the start button on the controller. You don’t finish it with RYU, to unlock so and so and then finish it with so and so to unlock so and so. All the old characters are there along with the 10 NEW ones ready to be selected and played with straight way !!
Who are these 10 new characters ?? Well let me introduce you to all of them one by one.
Hailing from the Korea we have T.K.D specialist and totally new to the world of Street Fighter JURI, her Tae Kwon Do skills will be putting Chun Li to the test in a major way. Another new comer is Turkish oil wrestler Hakan, he’s big, he’s slippery, he loves to wrestle and is seeking to make the best olive oil on earth. I think Zangief is going to have a very hard time putting him in his spinning pile driver !!
Next we have Capcom superstars making a coming back from different franchises :
Guy and Cody from Final Fight
Dee Jay and T.Hawk from Super Street Fighter II
Makoto from Street Fighter III
Ibuki from Street Fighter III
Dudley from Street Fighter III
Adon from the original Street Fighter series
With all the formalities out of the way we can get down to business. Super Street Fighter IV is not Super Street Fighter IV unless you play it online. The online mode in Super Street Fighter IV is brilliant. There are some new features such as team battles where players can take part in a 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3 or even a 4vs 4 elimination matches, this is super cool. Another feature is the replay mode where you can watch a match and see where you went wrong and learn from your mistakes. This is a great way to pick up new moves and techniques from other players and see how they pulled off that special move. Then there’s classic arcade old school style, remember back in the day you’d be playing Street Fighter someone comes to challenge you. You’d beat them then move on to the next loser till finally someone knocked you off your perch and you’d have to put your quarter on the machine to wait your turn once again to challenge him. This mode is called endless battle mode. If you want to take on all challenges and you think you’re hardcore then this is the mode for you.
Over all Super Street Fighter IV has all the goodness that Street Fighter IV had plus more. With a total of 35 characters from choose from, excellent online action, enough modes to keep you busy till Dhalsim’s Elephants come home from the circus, and its priced at nearly half the price Street Fighter IV was when it was released. Graphically its superb, the sountrack and sound effects are fantastic, the replay ability is second to none. This is not just the fighting game of the year, Super Street Fighter IV is the fighting game of the century. If you haven’t already picked it up do so now !!
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today released new screenshots for Enslaved™: Odyssey to the West for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The latest batch of screens provides a peek into the intense opening moments of the game, as lead character Monkey fights to escape from the slave ship that has captured him… before it crash lands with him still inside.
Developed by Ninja Theory Ltd., Enslaved takes players on a gripping, surprise-filled journey as two dissimilar characters form an uneasy union in order to survive their way through a perilous, post-apocalyptic America. In Enslaved, players take on the role of Monkey, a strong and athletic, yet solitary figure, who been captured by one of the mysterious slave ships, which harvest the remaining population and take them out west never to return. Trip, a technologically savvy young woman who has also been imprisoned by the same ship, manages to escape. She quickly realizes that Monkey, with his raw strength and power, is her only hope to survive the perilous journey back to her home. She hacks into a slave headband and fits it on Monkey, linking them together – if she dies, he dies… Her journey has now become his and Monkey must now travel west alongside Trip as they traverse a demolished world, under constant threat of capture and mortal peril.
A tactical action-adventure game, Enslaved centers on the complex relationship between the two main characters and challenges players to employ a mix of combat, strategy and environment traversal. With influences and contributions from top music and film industry talent, Enslaved combines beautifully rendered graphics and captivating music with seamless animation and engrossing gameplay.
What if in the future, the battle of the sexes literally became a battle? What if men and women were literally from different planets? Well that is what has happened in Vandread by animation company Gonzo. Now Funimation is about to bring the full DVD box set to American soil on May 4th.
In Vandread there are two worlds which are constantly at war with one another. The world of Mejere (women) and Taraak (men) are completely separate and have been so for as long as anyone can remember. The war between them has lasted even longer. However once a new fighting force that has been developed by the men is brought out into open battle for the first time, the ship is hijacked by female pirates. With a mysterious power reacting within the ship, Hibiki and a few other of his fellow men have been teleported across the galaxy aboard a ship full of the enemy they fear so much; women.
I have seen this anime before and highly recommend it. There is an extremely large amount of CG mech battles in space, as well as romantic comedy mixed between the crew mates of the ship as they attempt to adapt to one another. Included inside of this package is the full DVD set of the entire two series put together, including two brand new OVA (Original Video Animation) and will run you about $50.
