2012年11月8日星期四

B&N drops prices on Nook Tablet and Nook Color



Now that Barnes & Noble's new $199 Nook HD tablet is starting to ship to customers, the company has lowered the prices on last year's Nook Tablet models to $179 (16GB) and $159 (8GB), and reduced the price of its entry-level Nook Color to $139.
It's unclear how long Barnes & Noble will keep these models on the market, but it appears they will be sold through the holiday buying season.
In the past you could get refurbished versions of these same models for similar prices. When it was originally launched in late 2011, the 16GB Nook Tablet retailed for $249 (it has 1GB of RAM). Amazon then brought out the original Kindle Fire for $199 (8GB) and Barnes & Noble followed up with the 8GB Nook Tablet, which has less RAM (500MB).
Earlier this week the company started shipping its Nook HD, which competes with the Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7, and Apple's iPad Mini; it comes in 8GB ($199) and 16GB ($229) models.
While the Nook HD leaves off a camera and doesn't have the breadth of apps and media selections (movies, music) that Amazon and Google offer with their latest tablets, the Nook HD has the highest resolution screen for a 7-inch tablet, is lighter than the Amazon Fire HD, and has an expansion slot for additional memory.
Barnes & Noble will also soon start shipping its larger Nook HD+ tablet, which has a 9-inch screen and starts at $269 (it bumps up to $299 for the 32GB model). The company's Web site says the Nook HD+ will be available November 8.

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2012年11月4日星期日

'Wreck-It Ralph' Claims Box Office Victory With Strong Debut


While the moviegoing was quite soft last week following the Hurricane Sandy that hit the East Coast, this week's North American box office shows a solid performance as "Wreck-It Ralph" tops the chart with a strong result. The video game-themed animated movie successfully scores around $49.1 million from 3,752 theaters.


The $165 million-budgeted family film breaks the record for the biggest debut for a Disney Animation Studios movie (not including Pixar titles). The record was previously held by 2010's "Tangled" which grossed $48.8 million on its Wednesday opening just in time for the Thanksgiving.

"For a company whose foundation was built on animation, it's a pretty incredible thing to have Tangled and now Wreck-It Ralph do such great business," says Walt Disney Pictures' vp distribution Dave Hollis. "It's a testament to the storytelling, and it's about connecting with both families and adults."

Also performing well on its debut weekend is Denzel Washington's "Flight" with an estimated $25 million from 1,884 screens. Paramount President of domestic marketing and distribution Megan Colligan says of the studio's plan to expand the release of the film, "We wanted to be measured so that we can expand in the coming weeks."

"There's no doubt that Bond will be a big movie, and we had always looked to expand Flight the weekend after Skyfall opens," Colligan goes on explaining. "With word-of-mouth this strong, there will be an audience for both films."

Last week's champion "Argo" places third with approximately $10.2 million for a total domestic gross of $75.8 million in its fourth week. Meanwhile, RZA's directorial debut "The Man with the Iron Fists" opens on the fourth place with only around $8.2 million from 1,868 theaters despite the fact that the marketing team boasted producer Quentin Tarantino's name to boost audience's interest to the martial art film.

Rounding up the top five is Liam Neeson's actioner "Taken 2" which holds strong with an estimated $6 million. After five weeks of playing nationwide, the "Taken" sequel collects a total domestic gross of $125.6 million, while also grabbing $343.4 million worldwide.

Top Ten Movies at Box Office for November 2 -4:
  1. "Wreck-It Ralph" - $49.1 million
  2. "Flight" - $25 million
  3. "Argo" - $10.2 million
  4. "The Man with the Iron Fists" - $8.2 million
  5. "Taken 2" - $6 million
  6. "Cloud Atlas" - $5.2 million
  7. "Hotel Transylvania" - $4.5 million
  8. "Paranormal Activity 4" - $4.3 million
  9. "Here Comes the Boom" - $3.6 million
  10. "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" - $3.3 millio

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2012年10月30日星期二

Assassin's Creed 3 doesn't start a revolution, but still amazes




The Assassin's Creed series to me has always been a bumpy ride.  You've got the high points, mostly involving the characters who you jump into as you assassinate high-ranking targets and their numbered guard, and the low points, revolving around Desmond Miles trying to figure out things in the modern day (though some of you still like him, that's just the way it goes).  But overall it's been a series that has grown into something spectacular, even though last year's Revelations stumbled a bit upon the familiar – and included a tower defense factor I didn't feel was necessary.

But now the series has shifted into something even more monumental, and even though Assassin's Creed III has its issues, I can't help but feel this is a truly high mark for the developers at Ubisoft Montreal.  It gives you an incredible amount of things to do, whether you follow the main story or just feel like decking out your house while occasionally doing a little pig farming.  And that's just the single player portion of the game.  Multiplayer has its own addictive flavor to it, whether you like stabbing your friends or working alongside them to hunt down targets.  Everything just comes together into one of the most respectable packages you'll find on the gaming market this holiday season.

The game doesn't start you out as the main assassin, Connor.  Instead, you'll spend a little time portraying Haytham Kenway, a noble killer who has his own agenda to follow in the midst of the American Revolution.  I won't spoil the story for you, but it eventually segues into the shoes of the new assassin, as he sets out to stop a Templar conspiracy in the midst of ol' Boston and New York towns.  Obviously it's a task with a lot to overcome, as a ton of ill-tempered red coats are more than eager to stop you in your tracks.  And, as expected, this story does tie in with Desmond, who's trying to save the world from the "doomsday clock" in his own time.  No pressure, right?
Ubisoft Montreal has touched up a number of things to make Assassin's Creed III one of the most fluid games in the series to date.  Free running is smoother than ever, as you'll leap across rooftops and swing across posts better than ever.  The combat system is also solid, if a bit simplified, as Connor (or Haytham) can easily counter incoming strikes with a button press and bury a weapon in someone's back as they stumble to the ground.  (Later opponents pose a bigger challenge, but can still be beaten.)  It's especially useful how you can strike at opponents in any direction, as most of these enemies charge in groups.
Not everything is perfect with the gameplay, however.  Stealth still plays a huge part in the Assassin's world, and while some parts of it still click (hiding in a crowd, despite being clearly dressed as an assassin), others do not.  Some missions require you to hide out near certain people so you can eavesdrop on their conversation, but even when you're hiding in grass or casually trying to sit at the bar, the AI gets quirky and soldiers suddenly notice your presence, then won't leave you alone until you basically kill them.  What's more, this soldier awareness gets annoying at times.  For instance, when we tried to kill a top-ranking soldier aboard a ship, if we pushed him off one side, in plain view of two soldiers, they'd charge at us and fail the mission.  However, if we stabbed this same soldier in the neck on the other side of the ship, in the similar range of view to the other soldiers, they did nothing. 
Another thing – the hunting quick-time events.  These can be real tiring, mainly because you should be able to simply lift a hatchet and bury it in a wolf's back like any other enemy, rather than be required to hit a certain button or become its lunch.  It's mildly annoying.  Plus, the rope darts don't do much good against these smaller animals, though they are fun to use on humans.  Whee!
These occasional quirks, along with the heavily stacked final mission (which, again, I won't spoil) may be too much for amateur ranked players to bear.  Creed fans, however, will overcome the odds and bury their hand blades accordingly.
The single player campaign features a staggering amount of content, from social clubs to side activities to quests that will take you a few miles out, just to learn a thing or two about your heritage.  You'll spend several hours completing it all, and though some are more exhausting than others, the experience is rewarding overall.  What's more, once you gain control of a ship for naval battles, the game becomes even more addicting.  There's a lot you need to do when you're at the helm, like dodging incoming cannonballs and lining up targets, but it's a rewarding experience – and one that should be expanded with even more missions via DLC.  You listening, Ubi?

On top of that, Assassin's Creed III also packs a mean punch with multiplayer.  The two main additions that you'll want to watch out for are Domination and Wolfpack.  Domination is a more "versus" oriented mode, where players try to take over hot spots without alerting the other controlling assassins in the area.  They can use occasional camouflage, but if they act jerkily, they'll give themselves away.  It's a tricky mode, but one fans will come to appreciate.  The second is a co-op supported game where up to four assassins team up together to track down targets and take them down in style.  As you do, new targets pop up, and you're given a minimal score to meet.  If you've got the right team in tow, this mode can be a blast.  Just watch out for those wandering types…they suck.
Ubisoft spared no expense when it came to recreating the ol' towns of the 1700's with Assassin's Creed III.  Both New York and Boston are staggeringly beautiful, filled with life and peasants, just as you'd find walking around in the real thing (or so I've heard – I'm not a time traveller).  Sometimes glitches occur with characters that jump out of context, but overall it's a huge improvement to an engine, and a nice change of pace from roaming around the usual overseas surroundings.  And there's plenty of blood to spill, so don't worry about that.
The game is also backed by some excellent dialogue, thanks to a range of voice actors that bring their roles to vivacious life.  Connor can be a little soft-spoken at times for an assassin – a quirky choice, to be sure – but the others really deliver on their roles, even if they can be a little over-arrogant at times.  The music is fitting for the theme of the game as well, with plenty of old-style songs and a few dramatic tones when something major is happening.  The sound effects are good too, even right down to the burying of a weapon in someone's neck.  Ouch.

While a few things keep Assassin's Creed III from being that "perfect sequel" that so many fans have been craving, there's no question that Ubisoft has put the kind of time and effort into the game to utterly satisfy them.  It's a huge step up from last year's Revelations, giving you hours upon hours of content, alone or with friends.  And Connor is a worthwhile addition to the series, even though I would've liked to have seen more Haytham in action.  Perhaps a sequel – or some DLC missions – can fix that.
Overall, don't miss it.  It definitely lives up to the hype…despite what a few others may tell you.


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2012年10月29日星期一

Silent Hill's only Revelation is that it's terrible


The first Silent Hill film straddled the not-so-fine line between horror cult classic and an abortion of filmmaking. It took the imagery of the Silent Hill games, the hell world, and its psychological horror creatures to the big screen in fine form. Then, in an attempt to bring a coherent plot into the equation, the film devolved into a series of info dumps delivered through wooden, pitiful dialogue. It's something that could still be amazing if an editor went in and removed half the dialogue.
That near-miss of brilliance gave me hope that Silent Hill: Revelation would right the wrongs of the original. After all, it wouldn't take much more than tossing out the script and letting the atmosphere speak for itself. Unfortunately, the creators of Silent Hill: Revelations didn't take fan opinion to heart. Instead, they repeated the same mistakes again with half the adherence to what makesSilent Hill special and twice as much wooden exposition.
The revelation here may be the bit of revisionist history that allows Sharon, the girl from the first film, to return to her father Christopher (Sean Bean). Years later, the two are on the run from cultists. They regularly move to new towns and change their names, giving Revelations an opportunity to name drop characters from Silent Hill 3 (the game). Now known as Heather and Harry, the pair can't outrun the cultists, eventually finding their way back to Silent Hill.

Along for the ride is Jon Snow...er, Vincent (played by Game of Thrones star Kit Harington), a boy from school who offers to help Heather return to Silent Hill. Of course he wouldn't be there without some secrets of his own, and his particular revelation is pretty much the turning point for any hope that this film will be any good.
Once again Silent Hill: Revelation is thick with explanations for all the madness that doesn't need explaining. And once again, the delivery of all this unnecessary info is as stilted as ever. The actors, almost all born outside of the United States, can't even be bothered to keep their accents in check. Sean Bean in particular dips into his native accent off and on throughout his scenes. As the revelations keep coming in the form of actors who seem too good for this film (Malcolm McDowell and Carrie-Anne Moss), it becomes clear that the terrible acting wasn't anyone's fault but those behind the camera.

At it's best, Silent Hill: Revelation is all about the creatures, but even then it falls pitifully short. Pyramid Head makes his return of course, but this time he's less terrifying and more fan service, pitted against another creature in an idiotic battle resembled Voldo and Nightmare duking it out inSoul Calibur. The creepy/sexy nurses also make a return, once again showing the creators' utter failure to understand what Silent Hill was about. After all, the nurses in Silent Hill 2 (the game) were manifestations of the main character's repressed sexual desires (yep), and in Revelationsthey're kinda just there.

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2012年10月23日星期二

Tropico 4 Review - Rum Not Included


Have you ever wanted to rule an island nation? Have you ever wanted to be a dictator, decide which political activists need to “disappear”, run a military state, build a park, or side with communists over the United States? Well, now you can do all of that. I mean, you could have before with TropicoTropico 2, and Tropico 3, but now there's Tropico 4!

This is the perfect city simulation game for people that always wanted to oppress their citizens in Sim CityTropico 4 is full of humor and detail—lots of detail. Like, it's almost too much detail. Some people might enjoy controlling the number of jobs available in the factory, their salary, and which citizens to hire/fire for that job, but it left me wanting to turn off the game and let my brain unwind. Some people, mainly those that Tropico 4is aimed at, will be happy to control every single aspect of every building and citizen, and to them I say, “have at it.” It's just a bit too much for me at times.
That's not to say I disliked the amount of detail in every aspect of the game. If you really get into role-playing as a leader or dictator, the ability to customize your dictator is fun. You can set your back-story to how you came to power. Obviously, I was a secret agent that was supplanted into this role by the CIA, giving me better relations with the United States. Down with the Communists! I will not drink your Chernobyl-infused vodka!.
The game is mostly mission-based. The same missions, over and over, just for different buildings. There's 20-something scenarios in the campaign, but most people play games like this for the sandbox mode. You do all the normal things that you'd expect from a city strategy game; manage an economy, please your citizens, choose what crops to import and export, appease different political factions, or don't, it's up to you. You have a great deal of control over how you want to run your little piece of paradise. Factions are in your face about demands and how to appease them, and they all have a cooky leader as the face of their faction. Realize that how they look and act are supposed to be done out of humor, so try not to get offended. You'll have to overcome the obnoxious, inconsequential thoughts of your citizens (just who do they think they are, telling their El Presidente how to run his country), and recover from natural disasters thrown your way by that b*tch, Mother Nature. Doesn't she have mass amounts of birds to be killing somewhere? It's been a while since she's done that.
It's hard to point out new features, because there really aren't many. It's pretty much Tropico 3 with some tweaks to the economy and foreign powers. It breaks no new ground, but if you're a fan of what developer Haemimont Games has been building with the Tropico series, you might want to pick up Tropico 4. The humor is there. Graphics-wise, the game (on the highest settings) looks good. The detail is definitely there, but if you aren't used to city strategy games then you could get overwhelmed quickly. Also, the music makes you feel like you are waking from a drunken stupor: inside of a cot in a cocaine-producing nation, with a bottle of rum, two days worth of facial hair scruff, a straw hat, a stained tank-top, and a dirty Tommy Bahama shirt thrown over it. Pants? No—no pants. It was a rough night.
Like I said, this game is an entertaining, control everything city strategy game. The lack of a multiplayer is a bit of a turn-off, personally, but at least you can brag to your friends via Facebook about the many ways you are destroying the lives of your citizens. There's tweaks that build on its predecessor, but it doesn't offer much that ground-breaking or expand in depth. There's tons to do with the ability to control almost every aspect of every building and citizen. It just gets a little laborious after a little bit, due to not enough changes from Tropico 3.

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2012年10月22日星期一

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition Adds Castles, Customization, Huge Levels




BioWare has revealed the first details for Dragon Age III: Inquisition. During a panel at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend, developers revealed that the fantasy RPG sequel will once again star a human hero, this time with varied backgrounds setting the stage for the direction of their story. Creative Director Mike Laidlaw followed up on Twitter stating that other playable races are possible for future Dragon Age games.


Inquisition aims to be BioWare's biggest Dragon Age yet, with "bigger" customization than Dragon Age: Origins, including options for your followers. Laidlaw confirmed on the panel that players will gain control of an entire castle, as seen in the initial concept artrevealing the new visual direction for Dragon Age III. The BioWare panel also reminded attendees that series writer David Gaider will return to pen Inquisition, and that one level of Dragon Age III exceeds the size of all of Dragon Age II's stages. BioWare is currently investigating new ways to carry choices from past games into Dragon Age III without directly transferring save data, too.
Oh, and Laidlaw not-so-subtly suggested Flemeth will be back, perhaps alongside past Dragon Age protagonists.
Inquisition has spent the most time incubating in pre-production of all BioWare's games, and it begins production shortly. It will be the first BioWare game to run on the Frostbite 2 Engine. Dragon Age III will release in Fall 2013.


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A Wii U classic in the making?{Nintendo Land}

2012年10月18日星期四

A Wii U classic in the making?{Nintendo Land}


First impressions matter. So the fact Nintendo Land's debut felt like a combination of limp handshake and wet fart was intensely worrying. Nintendo Land should be exciting. It's a Ninty themepark with minigames based on their biggest names, but its E3 announcement consisted of a muddled explanation followed by a fireworks display packing all the oomph of a Nerf gun. Fuuurp.
But after our recent hands-on we're willing to admit that actually, and our face is as straight as a flagpole when we say this, Nintendo Land is brilliant.

The brainchild of Katsuya 'Animal Crossing' Eguchi, Nintendo Land is billed as the Wii Sports of the Wii U's GamePad. And while touting the controller's abilities to the masses is no easy task, Nintendo Land casts its net wide and pulls in a feast of intriguing ideas.
There will be 12 games in the final park, all 'much deeper' than anything in Wii Sports or Wii Play according to Eguchi. And while only five were open to the public in our recent hands-on, three of those almost justify admission alone.

TOADSWORTH'S TEACUPS

Takamaru's Ninja Castle was first. This arcade-y target shoot had us flicking ninja stars from pad to tele at googly eyed ninjas. The interplay between pad and TV was entertaining but we weren't itching to play again once the demo ended.
Next was The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, a fabric-ified mash-up of Wii Sports Resort's Swordplay and Archery modes. Two players grip Wii controllers as sword-wielding heroes while one takes the Wii U GamePad to play cowardly ordinance and shoot out of reach enemies. Unfortunately the on-rails movement removes much of the mode's potential - Four Swords this ain't.
Things started looking up with Donkey Kong's Crash Course. This woollen replica of DK's classic girders saw us tilt the Wii U GamePad left and right to spin the entire stage, with a two-wheeled Mii triangle reacting to the pitch like some 2D Monkey Ball. Albeit without the simian grace: the Mii-mobile was rockier than a Reliant Robin.


The level we played started simply but before long we had to pull shoulder buttons and rotate analogue sticks to call creaking machinery into motion, making sure to keep the controller steady at the same time. It proved surprisingly taxing, and shows that Nintendo Land won't shy away from tricksy challenges just to promote controls. Excellent.
As always in theme parks, though, you work your way up to the big ones, and rides four and five - a pair of asymmetrical multiplayer games - were unquestionably Nintendo Land's star attractions.


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2012年10月17日星期三

Next Skyrim DLC called Dragonborn?

The next expansion to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may be called Dragonborn and could have gamers riding dragons. A Bethesda forum user has dug through the source code for the game's new 1.8 patch and found several references to "Dragonborn" and "DLC2."


The user claims the Dragonborn expansion will add new armor types, and may even allow users to ride dragons in some fashion.
The files suggest the Dragonborn DLC will be set in the island area of Solstheim, a land northwest of Wardenfell and east of Skyrim. According to the Elder Scrolls Wikia, its climate is cold and snowy and is home to the Ebony mines.
A Bethesda representative told GameSpot, "We don't comment on rumors and speculation."
If the next expansion for Skyrim is in fact titled Dragonborn, it won't come as a total surprise. In May, Bethesda parent company Zenimax Media sought aDragonborn trademark through the United States Patent & Trademark Office. The mark was filed under the goods and services description of "Computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices."

Previously released DLC for Skyrim includes Dawnguard and Hearthfire. Both are currently available for Xbox 360 and PC, but potentially unsolvable issues have kept these add-ons from PlayStation 3.

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