Game Review - Brutal Legend

Tim Schafer, there's a name. It brings to mind the original Monkey Island games and Grim Fandango, some of my all time favorite games. His more recent offering psycho naughts was also pretty good from a design point of view but ultimately suffered from being a pretty standard platformer.

I heard he was making a new game and I was interested, not so much excited. Psychonaughts was fun but left me cold ultimately and this game was being marketed as some kind of action game. The advertising made it seem like a god of war style brawler. Well, let's forget all that now, because the truth has since been revealed. And the truth my friends, is very metal.

You see, Brutal legend is an RTS, always was meant to be an RTS and the single player game is merely an extremely well developed tutorial, reminiscent of the single player levels in games such as Command and Conquer where you are introduced to a single unit at a time. Of course here it is all interspersed with chase levels and as many side quests as you care to do.

Let's break it down.



Graphics: A lot has been said about the graphics in this and they are nice. The whole Metal theme is carried through well and there are some really nice details. I didn't find myself blown away by the graphics in this game however and they do feel generic in places. They are functional for the most part with a nice set piece thrown in various places like splotches of color on an otherwise bland canvas.

Some areas such as starting area "Bladehenge" feel like something out of a PlayStation game and seem like they were thrown together in a day while other areas such as the interior of the battle forge and Mount Rockmore are inspired scenery where it's obvious a lot of work has gone in.

Gameplay: The opening of this game has you fighting and driving as if it's the primary game play. Two things about this, it's not the primary game play and it's a damn good thing it's not. Combat is fun but clunky and the driving feels like something out of micro machines. Neither of these are bad but on their own they are boring and offer little variation.

These areas last just long enough to remain fun and to lead us into some of the RTS elements. You can order troops to mill about, guard areas etc. Since this game is mainly an online multiplayer RTS, let's talk about the RTS controls.

They're okay. When it comes to micromanagement you can't beat a mouse but you have enough control over your units to manage a decent war effort. You can also jump into battle any time you like and start splitting heads, ripping out a few solos that can cause explosions, summon extra units and block off your enemy. It's an involving game online and though I've only been playing it two days I'm enjoying it, it just takes some getting used to.

Sound: Voice acting is amazing on every level, Jack Black puts in a truly excellently played, funny and memorable performance. He is backed up by the likes of Tim Curry voicing the main bad guy and other solid actors along with various cameos from metal legends.

Other sound effects are passable but it's the voice-work that puts the Sound here over the crowd.

Multiplayer: Balance is everything in multiplayer, and while this game has a nice flow to it every enemy army I encountered so far was of the same army. This army also happens to have quite a powerful strategy that seems like it may be over powered.

Suggesting a game can be perfectly balanced at release is probably a bit unrealistic and for the most part every unit seems to fit into their respective army well. The thing that will make or break the multiplayer will be the continued support of the game through patches and down loadable content. I have my fingers crossed that Double Fine will give this game the continued attention it deserves to blossom into a really solid online RTS.



Summing up time. Well, once I got this game home I sat down and played through it in five hours. I wasn't really challenged at any point but it was consistently fun and there was always something new to play with, not to mention the great story that it had gluing it together. It was no Grim Fandango story wise but it was damn good.

So, you could argue that I've already got my moneys worth but that doesn't necessarily make this a great game. I'm going to keep playing the online portion and try to get into it more, in the mean-time I can say this is worth the price of admission for the single player campaign alone and the online segment is definitely fun enough to keep me coming back for another go.

80/100

Follow-Up: I've brought this game back to the shop. After really trying to get into the online part of the game it just feels to shallow to keep going. At first having so many units to double team with and use seems deep but given the fact that you can only be in one place at once most options become wasteful distractions that cause you to lose. Additionally, I found the game laggy and given the fact that the direct control of your avatar is so pivotal to your success, lag in the wrong moment can cost you a game.

There is little incentive to play on anyway as each game is retreading the same ground over and over, only with different units. Cover has no effect, for example, so it all comes down to who has the more units etc.

Well, ultimately it feels that tactics and strategy don't factor much in this game, though they are there in essence. I had hopes for this but in the end I feel it just doesn't hold water. Judged as an RTS Brutal Legend is not a good game.

Game Review - Hammerfight

Previously known as Hammerfall this Russian made game has been on my radar for a while now. I had great fun with the freely available Russian version and was pleased as punch when the full, English version appeared on steam. So let's review it.

The premise is this, you are in a world where the noblemen do battle not on foot or on horseback but on steam punk helicopter like vehicles which wield giant swords and maces which you swing around by maneuvering your craft to generate centrifugal force. This makes for a heavily skill based combat system as actually hitting your opponent requires timing and dexterity. There is also immense satisfaction in bringing down a heavy blow on a downed opponent, causing their craft to explode in a cloud of sparks and smoke. Let's break it down.


Gameplay: So yeah, the game play is not only utterly unique it is wildly satisfying and entirely skill based. There is also a large variety of weapons so you are in a position to modify your heli-thingy to fight in your own specific style. There are swords, scythes, hammers, flails and even ranged weapons. What's more you come into possession of a variety of jewels to modify your weapons with new abilities and you can buy single use items in a shop such as javelins and throwing stars. There's a lot of great game play to be had here.

Negative sides of the controls are that I do find it hard to control my craft sometimes and it doesn't always seem as smooth as it could be but it's never a huge problem. I can say that every time I died in this game it was my fault (apart from the situations I'm about to describe). I also found the hunting sections of the game to be a bit too long and not all that fun. Fighting bland worms and bees has nothing on facing the unique enemy pilots and it doesn't add too much to the proceedings apart from padding out the game.

Sound: Sound is a bit weak and takes the background for the most part. Weapon effects are a mixed bag with close combat weapons sometime sounding a bit on the wimpy side but ranged weapons do have a very satisfying bass-y quality. The music is very Russian and has a nice flavor but you won't be blown away. Sound doesn't annoy but it doesn't do too much to enhance the game either.

Graphics: This game looks really good, the little details really make it, like the way a skull hangs off your craft for every other pilot you kill. Enemy pilots have their own banners and weapon load outs and it looks really cool. As the game proceeds you'll have collected your own batch of customized weapons and shields and it's great to have your own look within the world. Particle effects also enhance the combat and sometimes sparks from the clash of metal even set banners and wood alight making for extremely epic spontaneous backdrops for fights.

Where the graphics let you down is that sometimes it is very hard to keep tabs on your craft, in a cloud of particle effects it's possible to get thrown from one side to another where it takes crucial seconds for you to get your bearings. It's an issue that is kind of unavoidable given the style they went with but it does hurt the game sometimes and increase the frustration factor.

Story: There's quite a good story here, it follows the last member of a destroyed family and return to fame and glory. It doesn't really have any effect on the game play but it gives a good backdrop to the fights. For example an early section has you enslaved and you must impress your owner like in the film gladiator. Sometimes you have the option of side quests but as far as I can tell it doesn't change the story, only the items you receive which is fine.

The story is fine but having played through most of it previously in Russian and not understanding a word, I don't find its inclusion makes much of a difference.



Conclusion: Hammerfight is a game you'll pick up and play for maybe half an hour at a time. You'll definitely enjoy the fights against other pilots but if you are like me will be bored by the grind fest when you are pitched against worms and bees.

This game can be difficult and you do need some dexterity to do well and that fact will make it a must-buy for some and one to avoid for others. If you are looking for a great pick up and play game with customizable weapons and skill based combat this game is for you. Also, it's really cheap.

80/100

Game Review - Company of Heroes

Alright, this is far from a cutting edge review I'm doing here but I have recently got back into this game and I'd like to write a bit about it. Company of Heroes is by far the best RTS in existence today. It's beaten everything thrown at it since it turned up in 2006.

I remember the first time I played the single player demo, the campaign mission featured the Normandy landings which I had already played to death in first person, how could an RTS format be nearly as frenetic and exciting as experiencing something from the eyes of one of the soldiers.

Well, it wasn't quite as exciting maybe, but the array of things available to you. Grenades, stealing enemy weapons, suppression, it was unlike anything I'd played before. Yes, there was actually some strategy here.

And that was all before I tried skirmish for the first time and got to play as the Wehrmacht, it was from that point that I was sold on the game and played the demo to death until I could get my hands on the full thing.



So, onto the full game. I never finished the single player game, that got old fast. Skirmish mode suffered the same fate, the AI opponents weren't the cleverest and even on the highest difficulty didn't provide much challenge.

No, you have to play against real people online to enjoy this game to its fullest. I played this game a lot online until I burned out. Americans Vs. Wehrmacht got old eventually, but I enjoyed every minute up until that point. (Apart of course for the age it took the matchmaker system to find me a game.)

It was at this point they had a perfectly balanced game in many regards. There were multiple strategies you could pull and a single game often had you changing tac back and forth to adapt to your opponent. It's as good as it sounds.

The expansion inevitably came out, called Opposing Fronts. This destroyed the game for a while, unfortunately, and made it almost unplayable online. My beloved Wehrmacht were reduced to a single plausible strategy against the new arrival army, the British. The Americans had similar difficulties with the new German army, the Panzer Elite. This was when I lost my taste for the game, it was either an uphill struggle to win or a simple steam roll, it wasn't fun.

A new expansion came out this year called Tales of Valor, I was tempted to buy it but decided against it due to the bad taste left in my mouth by the new armies. Recently however I bought the gold pack (the original two releases) and played some games online. Things feel balanced and yes, this is the best RTS experience available again. Even matchmaking is radically improved.

Essentially, if you are burned out on Dawn of War 2, try this out. It's a much more in depth game.



While not a "realism" game like, for example, men of war, this game does have some roots in reality. For example a rifle isn't even going to dent the heavy armor of a tank. Rocket artillery is good against everything and aggression is the name of the game, holing up in a corner of the map is going to make you lose.

Of course, you could write pages and pages on the mechanics of this game and everything possible in it so I will try to skim over some of it. If your guys have mp40s or sten guns you rush them up to close range. Snipers are best at long range.

Less obvious dynamics are that allied infantry kick ass at close range while Axis infantry are better at long range. (Not sure why this is the case, it's a balance thing.) Tanks need to be countered by mobile heavy guns that must be deployed before firing and defended by infantry AT weapons and mines.

Well, what I'm trying to convey here is that this is a game that encourages the use of combined arms. You won't win (or you shouldn't!) by massing a single a unit and attack moving them. This is a game where you have to think, and I salute that.

I haven't done my usual break down because its multi player is a unique experience and its worth buying it for that alone. Yes, it has great graphics, sound and the rest but all of that would be nothing without its excellent game play.

If you are looking for a modern RTS to play online. There is only one game to get.

100/100

Game Review - Mass Effect

Ah, Mass Effect. I've been trying with this game, I've been trying very hard but I am just finding very little to like about it. This game does have a level of pedigree, I played this studios previous title Knights of the Old Republic and really enjoyed it. So, where does this game go wrong?

First off I think that this game doesn't know what it wants to be. The action portion is like a stripped down version of gears of war with only four weapons and awful AI and the RPG portion consists of half baked cliched writing that serves only to segue into the next action section. Let's break it down.

Graphics - I'm starting off with the simultaneously strongest and weakest aspect of this game. The graphics are amazing and they serve to recreate watching a film. Facial animations are good and the opening of this game really creates a strong atmosphere because of it. Before it breaks down you could be forgiven for thinking that this game genuinely recreates an episode of your favorite science fiction series.

On the negative end of things the graphics in this game are boring, scenery is restricted to large grainy blocks of whatever. The architecture is ugly and uninspiring, the weapons are ugly and all of the same collection of shapes and colors. The aliens in this game do not have the same appeal as the ones featured in KOTOR and seem like mere rip-offs of the star wars stable. This game is not fun to look at and felt like such a waste of an opportunity given the otherwise excellent presentation.

Sound - Sound suffers the same problem as the graphics, presentation is perfect and the way conversation flow occurs is almost perfect. It is let down by the same lack of imagination and inspiration, lines are delivered in a manner that suggest a boredom on the part of the voice actors. The voice actor of the main character is excellent but at times feels all too generic, as if this game was trying so hard to encapsulate the science fiction it is aping that it fails to have a spirit of it's own.



Combat - This is, for me, a very weak point of this game. Combat consists entirely of either gunning down your assailant in moments or being forced to find a way to cheese the AI into letting you kill it without resistance. The controls are unresponsive and the weapons just are not fun to use. Commanding your squad mates disrupts the game play and I found myself not using the ability at all. Combat in this game is an unavoidable chore.



Writing - This is the point that makes or breaks an RPG. You can forgive clunky combat if it has a compelling story, it makes the encounters seem real and helps with your suspension of disbelief. Unfortunately the writing here is utter trash. This game does absolutely nothing new with it's license, in the end it just feels like star wars if you took out light sabers, Darth Vader and started calling the force "biotics". We are told the antagonist must be stopped because "he hates humanity", we never really see any proof of this and our character just accepts it.

I'll pick out one of the sub quests for an example of the worthlessness of the writing here. You are told to go defuse a nuclear bomb inside a cave belonging to a rogue probe. On finding the bomb we are confronted by a hologram of a pirate captain who explains his life story and how he became a pirate captain in long and over-written prose. He then turns out to know your name and yes, has laid this trap especially for you, sealing you in with the nuclear bomb.

Okay, well, how did he know it was you that was going to be sent for it? Why did he want you killed if he never even met you before. Why the elaborate scheme?

That's not the stupidest part, though the "escape" was sealed off, you can just leave through another door after defusing the bomb, a door which leads INTO THE PIRATE CAMP. Wouldn't the bomb have killed them all if it had gone off? Is this in any way believable? Am I having fun? No. It's the same all the way through, every character is flat and derivative. Poor show.

Auto saves - This gets its own section because it's so annoying. This game has auto saves but only hours apart or wherever it feels like it. I found myself having to save the game every few minutes myself in case a difficult encounter was around the next corner. There's no quick save and it take a around ten seconds to save, it breaks up the gameplay and it's just plain annoying.

Well, that's Mass Effect. It's the story that let me down the most. The concept of being a star ship captain who is above the law could have been amazing if the story was strong but here we are wandering around a bland bland world without really ever knowing what we are doing or why. If you care about your story, leave this game alone. If you want third person shooting, get one of the Gears of War games.

30/100

Game Preview - Majesty 2

It's rare for me to get excited about a new game but, god damn it, I'm excited about this one. Remember Majesty? It was an excellent RTS style game from 2000 where you hired heroes and got them to do things for you by offering them gold. I actually discovered this game about a year ago and aside from the poor graphics and ridiculously fast scroll speed I really enjoyed it.

Now, the second factor in this equation of awesome is a company called 1C. You might know them from the Space Rangers series or the remake of King's Bounty. They're essentially a mad group of Russian developers that make amazing games, I don't know too much about the guys themselves but their work shows a real passion for gaming that you don't often see.

Anyway, mix these two things together and you get a game called Majesty 2. That's right, these guys got hold of the license and made a sequel and it's good. It's damn good. I mean I only have the demo which has two missions but when I keep going back to those missions over and over, you know you are onto something special.


Games of this type have had a hard time in the past. Mostly because it was hard as hell to tell what was going on sometimes. Hit calculations and damage rolls, magic scores, it was all a bit too complicated to properly express when the pixels were as large as your head. This game fixes all that.

It's now clear what's going on, nearly every one of your guys looks unique but best of all it's done all this while remaining very close to the game play of the original. It's essentially a remake with a touch up in all of the important areas. You could maybe assault them for lack of originality but they are remaking a completely unique game so I can't fault them. It's addictive, looks great, runs on my laptop and just has a great spirit to it. It's light hearted and affectionate to the original and I just can't wait to get my hands on the full version.

If you haven't played the original, give it a go, or just grab the great demo of this version. It's rewarding and fun, 1C, please make dungeon keeper 3.

Game Review - Killing Floor

Ah, zombies. I like zombie games, first we had plants versus zombies and now we have a more mature representation of the zombie demographic in digital format. What started out as an Unreal mod is now a full game purchasable through valve's steam distribution store and it is a lot of fun. The idea of the game is that you and five buddies must fight off wave after wave of blood thirsty zombies of various types. You have the regular shamblers that walk slowly towards you soaking up bullets alongside craftier incarnations all backed up by a super zombie every so often to stop you from getting too comfortable. It's a game of team organisation and bullet rationing. Let's have a look at some of the key points.

Graphics - This game is based on a slightly aging engine so this isn't going to exactly be cutting edge. Of course, this could also be viewed as a plus as it allows me to play it on my laptop. The zombies look really good and are distinctive as you you can see in the screenshot above. The super zombies are perfectly menacing with sinister grainy textures. The graphics in this game suit it perfectly. However, some of the zombies do look a little underdeveloped and I feel some of the models could be better had more work been put into them. All in all, it looks good but the graphics alone are not going to blow you away.

Sound - The sound is good, you have the zombie groans and sporadic death metal to get your pulse racing but of course in a game like this its the silence that can really get to you and that's in there too. All the characters are given corny British accents which gives it all a very b-movie feel. There could be more samples for variety but for what sound is here, it's excellent.

Game play - Game play consists of killing waves of zombies with gun shopping in between, you can also level up various "perks" which are kind of like classes in an RPG. So you are encouraged to, for example, heal team mates to level up your medic perk. The guts of it is zombie killing though and that is very very satisfying. Head shots are essential and you'll see plenty of brains flying about the place. You can also use the iron sights on your guns to line up shots so that gives it a nice semi realistic feel to it. Game play is solid and addictive and the maps are great.


The guys who will be tearing the flesh eating zombies off your back.

Weapons - There's a good selection of weapons here. Compared to left for dead, another zombie game where you only get to choose between two types of weapon, here you get a good collection of firearms. Hunting shotgun, ak-47, chainsaw, there's a lot to choose from and each is unique enough to make using it a different experience. I would have liked to see more of a progression with the weapons however, as it seems its not hard to be able to afford the best ones within only a few rounds. This of course changes with the difficulty level so it's not the end of the world.

Well, there's not too much more to say. The biggest question of course is how it stacks up to left for dead and I have to say, this is its own game. It's very very different with a very different feel. If you like zombie games, get them both. If you only get one, I'd say if money is at all an issue, get this one. It's definitely more bang for the buck and you won't be bothered by the griefers and whiny kids that plague left for dead.

This is a great game and ideal for an evening of zombie massacre.

80/100

Game Review - Ben There, Dan That

It's funny that shortly after picking up Tales of Monkey Island I came across this game online. This is a much more true descendant of the classic monkey island games. And, I'll say this much, if there was a game made specifically for me, in that I would find it entertaining and enjoyable from beginning to end and laugh out loud every few minutes, well that would be this game. Let's break the game up into it's component parts for some deeper analysis.

Writing - This is some of the greatest writing I've ever seen in a game. For a short game it also manages some self referential humor. (Your companion in the game only performs a single action for which he is constantly ridiculed.) The dialog is entirely fresh and free of cliche and it constantly ridicules adventure gaming with a real palpable affection. The writing here is perfect. I can't fault it. I feel a real connection between the protagonists, the banter is funny and feels natural and every character you meet feels fleshed out and real.

Graphics - Now, I am actually going to compare the graphics of this game with that of Tales of Monkey Island and I know what you are thinking, how is it fair to compare the graphics of game that like, three people worked on, to that of a full budget game? Well, you're right, it's not fair but I still think that the graphics in this game are better than those in tales of monkey island. They're imaginative, fun to look at, set a great mood and are varied. There was always something fun to look at in this game whether it was super heroes with rubbish powers or dinosaurs with computers. The style is great and again I can't fault it because I never found myself not enjoying the visuals.

Additionally it had something that modern adventure games miss, custom animations! Nothing like a bit of physical humor in a game like this and good news, it's in there.

Puzzles - Man, I hate to gush so much about a game but the puzzles in this were great. I never found myself stuck but I'd like to think this is due to the lack of cheesy puzzles, the clear definition of all items and characters in the game and of course, my own lateral thinking mind. The puzzles were great.

Sound - It's a while since I have played an adventure game without voice acting so I found that a bit jarring at first but it wasn't game breaking. In general I prefer reading the subtitles anyway but some people mightn't like the effort. There was also no music to speak of and little in the way of sound effects. What music there was is well used but the game did seem bit quiet at times. Not so much a mark against it but it is something that could have been better.



Well, that's the major points covered. This game was funny, interesting and a real throw back to the days of the original monkey island games. I would consider it more monkey island than, for example, sam and max and for me that's a good thing. Tell tale, take notes from these guys. This is what people want when they ask for an adventure game.

The game can be downloaded free from their website: http://www.zombie-cow.com/ and I think every adventure gamer should give it a go.

90/100

Game Review - Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 2

Where's the review of episode 1? I didn't feel like doing one at the time, but it wasn't too different from the second installment anyway, anything I say about this one in general goes for the first as well.

So, where to begin, the not so long awaited sequel to the long awaited sequel to a legendary series of games which I thought would never see the light of day again. Let's get some things clear though, this is not the game I was hoping for. Strictly speaking it barely deserves to carry the name of monkey Island, but somehow scrapes it. Let's look at some of the elements that make up an adventure game.

Writing - It's unfortunate but probably the most important element of an adventure game is also this games major failing. The writing isn't clever and usually, it isn't funny. The writing is functional however and everything is conveyed in a smooth manner. Nothing remarkable here but nothing terrible either. Voice acting is perfectly adequate, but some of the characters in this game are so flat it must be a challenge to give them any personality.

Graphics - A real strong point, the visual design of this game is excellent. This installment also has some of the classiest transitions between screens that I've ever seen in a game. Particularly impressive is when the camera sweeps upwards from an area to show the entire world map. It's hard to fault what tell tale have achieved in the visual department.

Sound - They fetched back the composer from Monkey Island 3 I believe, and it shows. The music in this game is perfect. The mood in every area is set with perfectly fitting ambient music, close your eyes and you'll know this is a monkey island game.

Puzzles - This should be higher on the list really but the puzzles in this game are stretching it. Nothing here should challenge you, the only part that I thought was challenging me actually resulted from me missing an object in the game. Frankly the puzzles are unimaginative. Well, maybe that's a little harsh.


More Puzzles like this please.

It could be the case that Tell Tale didn't want to alienate new comers to the genre by beating them over the head with tough puzzles but still, I was disappointed by the second episode. I was expecting an increase in difficulty from the first episode but I feel this was actually easier. Additionally there was nothing like the chair puzzle from the first episode to liven things up. (That's where the count de fru fru straps you to the chair and you have to use the inventions in his lab to manufacture an escape in case you haven't played it.)

Well, all in all I enjoyed playing through it. It's an enjoyable game and the episodic nature of it meant their was a cliff hanger at the end, so I'll be playing the next one too. I would like to see the writing improve, after all there must be a world of writers out there who would die to write for a game like this (myself included), how hard could it be to find a few that were able to produce something both coherent and funny?

Get some humour, mix up the puzzles a little and there's not much else that could be improved. It comes recommended.

70/100

Why touchscreens Suck

This has been a point of contention between me and Alan for a while now and though there are other articles out there on the subject there's got to be room for one more.

So, why do touch screens suck?

1. Tactility

This is a major flaw that will never really be resolved with current LCD technology. There's no response to when you press the button, you can't tell without looking at the machine itself whether or not you have actually done what you intended to do. This of course is a big issue when it comes to skipping a song or whatever when the the mp3 players in your pocket or anything of that nature.

2. Smudges

Different screen surfaces can allay this weakness there's no avoiding grubby fingers on your viewing area. Even the fact that you have to obscure your view on a device in order to operate is counter intuitive. It just doesn't make sense.

3. Gimmicky Trash

Touch controls are such a gimmick they encourage developers to create gimmicky trash. It's not like phones are known for their quality third party software but touch controls definitely do not aid matters. Gimmick gives birth to further gimmick until we are drowned in useless, eye candy emptiness.

4. Tangential Technology

Finally, touch screens are a product of "Why not?" technology. What I mean by this is that there is no real need or benefit to a touch screen, the only reason it exists is that it is possible and it sounds good. It's tangential in that it isn't truly a part of any technology chain, it is not where technology is going. Why would anything that forces a user to place something between him and a screen be a step forward. Touch screen is just a dead end.

Now, I'm not saying that touch screen doesn't have it's applications. I see it put to good use in restaurant systems and such but for mobile devices it's just a false prophet. It falls short in what it promises and takes lot in exchange. So I would urge the world to join me in anticipation of the true successor to tactile buttons.

Whatever the hell that might be.

Samsung X460 Review - It's good to be the King

It's like Samsung are determined to have me starve to death. I almost bankrupted myself buying the x460 but I still think it was worth it. I even had to borrow money from my loan shark friend. (Alan)

I got excited when I first saw this on dabs. My R70's screen was getting a bit dim and I was looking for an upgrade, this was my R70 x 2. Its got everything that laptop has and does it with a whole lot more grace. The LED back lit 14" screen was the first thing that attracted me but it gets better.

Style


The x460 is a hell of a lot thinner than my R70, but still retains every feature. This makes typing a lot more comfortable with its lower form factor and it just looks amazing. The brushed aluminium section modelled above comes in black if you don't go for that sort of thing, but this is not a laptop that you'll regret being seen with. The x460 is more than a pretty face, but it has one of those too.

Every feature on the laptop surface is subdued and does not distract from your work but still has a pleasant aesthetic.

Keyboard



You might see a trend in my reviews, I am keyboard mad. If a laptop doesn't a good one, it's useless to me. Luckily, this is another area where the x460 destroys its predecessors. Not only does it have the aforementioned lower form factor but the keys are separated from each other and nicely cushioned to type on. My time of writing on the NC10 could be over.



The X460 is a solid laptop. Its pricey enough for the specs you get however, so if you are a spec head you might look elsewhere. If you are looking for a solid, robust and usable laptop that looks great and wont let you down your search is over.

X1060 32GB - S-Master in Sony's finest

Its been 2 nights since I got my Sony X1060 32GB Walkman (or PMP as Eo likes to call it), but as often things turn out, I had only really been able to spend the past hours or so using it in its full fidelity. When coupled with my AKG K319 Earphones, this is simply amazing. Not amazing as in seeing a UFO, but amazing as in getting abducted only to find your experiment is to mate with hundreds of beauties... or something like that...

Seriously, in my 10 years of personal audio (and annoying people on the bus with high decibels), nothing ever came close to reproducing the fidelity of a real HiFi (it didn't help the fact that I always had high end stack systems), even now with my ear tuned to the distinctively good sound of my X-Fi sound card pushing the magnets in the Bose system, I can say without any research that this X1060/AKG setup offers a superior sound quality and experience (albeit no vibrations on the ground).

The sound really is that rich and clear. Anyone who has ever used the Sony HiFi Amp would have known the S-Master Digital Amplifier (first introduced around 2005?), well now this technology has being minimized so much it fits into the X1060 (a first for Sony) the end result is a player that can rival full sized amplifiers (and indeed Sony provided a separate line out cable via the connector at the bottom, by-passing the earphones socket completely) So what else is on tap for making it sound so good? Well there is a 5-band EQ with Clear Bass, VPT Surround Control (S-Master), DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement), and Clear stereo. To be honest, you only need the EQ, Clear Bass and VPT to bring out the goodness.


The Stock earphones are pretty weak (compared to AKG, still far better than stock iPod ones), but you have to use it if you plan on using the "built in" (not really build in if you are stuck with stock earphones) Noise Canceling function. This when I tried, didn't really made much difference and ear canal earphones are not my cup of tea anyways.

The UI is very simple to use, on par with the ipod or any other player, nothing revolutionary. Having hard buttons for key functions like play/pause, FF, RW, Volume is very good idea for a touch screen, coupled with a special hold mode where only the touchscreen is disabled this makes a lot of sense.


Put it simply you buy this baby for sound quality and nothing else, sure the simple drag and drop approach is better than iTunes, but most other non apple players offer that anyways. Only one player so far comes (very very) close to this player for sound quality, and it is the Cowon iAudio7, which really made me realize how much a gap there was between my Sony Xperia's sound quality to a "proper" mp3 player.

For now, if you like your music to sound their best (and money no object) go for either the iAudio7 (eo's player) or X1060, both will blow your mind with their Sound Quality.

+ Sound quality
+ Screen
+ Buttons

- No standard USB (Come on Sony!)
- Bundled ear canal earphones
- Price (e340)

Cowon iAudio 7 - mp3 as it Should Be

Hello, Cowon iAudio 7. Welcome to my pocket.

The best mp3 player I had ever owned was the iRiver H320, it had a huge capacity, great sound quality and was simple as possible to use. There's a reason they still go for one hundred euro second hand.

Since mine started electrocuting me whenever I had it plugged in (don't ask) I've been bouncing back and forward between audio devices. The creative zen (the hard drive based one and the flash memory one) and then the players on my phones and they were all fine. But nothing came close to the H320 and there is nothing worse than a down grade in this day and age.

Then, I bought the iAudio 7 and I feel the good times are back again. 16gigs of space, check. Plugs in with any standard usb cable and becomes an external drive in windows, check. Browse music by directory structure, check. Supports every codec you can think of, check. Sounds good, triple check.



I have something that almost matches the H320's HD space, is tiny, flash based and blows it out of the water sound wise.

The sound generated by the iAudio 7 is noticably better on any ear phones but when paired with something like Alan's AKGs it enters a different league of mobile music. It is far better than it should be.

You get used to accepting lower quality music from an mp3 player, its lack of bass and clarity but the iAudio 7 changes that to some degree. It can produce real music, not just a pale imitation of it. A slightly pricey purchase but your ears will thank you for it.

Plants Vs. Zombies Review - Even More Fun than it Sounds

I don't usually like this kind of game. I didn't like this developers previous release "peggle" and I have to admit, I was surprised. More than surprised, I was blown away.

This game is fun. It's fun to play, it's fun to listen to and it's criminally cheap for the amount of content you get. I bought this for ten euro and I've already got at least two hours out of it, at the rate which I get through games these days that is very very good value for money.

So what's the game like, here's a screenshot.



Right so, see those plants. You plant those using the cards at the top. Then those zombies start walking over to your house and the plants do things to stop them. Some plants fire peas, others will eat the zombies, freeze them, whatever. It follows the basic tower defense formula loosely. Simplified in that the zombies approach along a single lane into your plants.

Most of the challenge comes from having the right plant in the right place. Well, what challenge there is anyway, but I'll get onto that in a moment.

I just want to make a mention of the animations in this game. It really looks great, a highlight is one particular type of zombie which walks onto your lawn reading a news paper. The paper will block a few of your plants shots before being torn to pieces. This causes a huge question mark to appear over the zombies head before he flies into a nerd rage. "I was reading that".

The plants look similarly excellent, the sunflower bopping to and fro, the doom shroom increasing in size dramaticaly before exploding into a mushroom cloud. After a man eater eats a zombie it can be seen chewing contentedly while a limp arm dangles out of it's maw. There's always something fun to look at.

Another very welcome addition is an "almanac" which contains details of the various plants and zombies you encounter. Each has a humorous description and it's always fun to refer to the almanac once you encounter a new enemy or plant.

This is an excellent product and if anything above appeals to you I advise you to pick it up. Anyway, let's get back to the issue of challenge.



This game starts off easy and stays easy for a long time. I have yet to lose once. (That one time I forgot to pick an essential plant doesn't count). I have a feeling this was geared towards a more casual audience, which is fine but I would have really liked to be able to put up the difficulty a few notches.

I'm half way through the third stage and things are starting to heat up slightly but I've had to simply stop playing a few times because I was not being challenged at all.

Another issue is the resource mechanic. You get "sun energy" both from the sun and from your sunflowers. The issue here is that there is no limit to the number of sunflowers you can have so it's very easy to end up with a near limitless supply of energy at which point it becomes a cake walk. It's a pity because it is something that it would be very easy to limit. The tutorial mentioned that I should have at least three but I never build less than twelve. This also hurts the gameplay because the early part of every level is spent just building sunflowers. Limiting it to three would have made decisions about what to build much harder and improved the gameplay a lot.

Still, the difficulty is increasing and it is becoming more fun, not to mention there's a load of mini games and challenge modes I haven't even tried yet. So, it's hard to give out about this game too much. A definate recommendation for anybody looking for a laid back game to unwind with.

So, check out the great (I have a soft spot for this kitchy stuff) music video they made, and take the plunge. It's got zombies after all.

Bose In-Ear Headphones Review - Glass Cannons

I didn't even want to buy a new pair of earphones but it was a good sales man.

"Try them out", he said. "If you don't like them, don't buy them."

I liked them, and I bought them. These things sound amazing, whatever way the sound enters your ear it acually sounds like it's coming from all around you. Listening to these on the bus is not too far away audially from having your legitimate sound system on the seat beside you.

Of course, they still fail where all earphones fail, despite the "In-Ear Headphones" label. The bass is weak and the volume you'll get with an average strength media player's output is about medium.

Sounds good, these things really are cannons. But now comes the glass aspect.

Like most earphones they produce these days the earphones have removeable rubber sections where it plugs into your ear. I'm not sure who thought these were a good idea as I've never found a comfortable fit with these things yet. However the problem in this case goes much further than comfort.

They just won't stay on. Used to wrapping your earphones around your player before shoving into your pocket? Well, forget about that little "feature" because if you are using these, the earphones that emerge from your pocket when you need them again will be unusable.

They fall off, they get lost. And when they are gone you are just left with a short spike on each earphone which is unusable for anything beyond impromptu self defence. For me, this renders these earphones useless for their intended purpose and is a massive design flaw.

I considered glueing them on but my common sense decided that "glue" and "my ears" are two things that should never meet. So I've thrown these aside for the MX60's reviewed below.

All in all, a massive disappointment. Great sound but zero usability.

PS3 Impressions - Welcome to proper HD

Finally I got crazy enough and splashed out 410 Euros on a PS3, the 80GB version bundled with Big little planet and Killzone 2 from Gamestop. Boy what a surprise. Not only do I currently like it better than my XBox360 (could be just the freshness of the PS3) but its actually a very solid piece of technology.

First the integrated WiFi is something X360 really should have since the start, Second the controller being both Wireless and Wired (when charging via USB cable) is just awesome, big improvement over my X360 controller where its either a permanent USB controller or one that drains the AA as if there is no tomorrow (apparently there is a controller I once saw for the X360 which can be wired and wireless, but haven't seen it since).

Another thing I really liked about the PS3 is its OS, almost identical to the PSP menu system (in a good way), it also allows multi threading (folding while gaming) and is very easy to navigate.

But truth be told the above are thing that I only noticed after I opened up the box, what really got me buying this piece of amazement is even more amazing after seeing in person. One word: Wipeout HD (well technically 3 words)


One thing let me be absolutely clear, no other game (including GT5) is as sublime as this when it comes to pure high def-ness, everything is high def, even the sound is high def! The result? 10/10? Absolutely. There is no words I can use to describe the feeling of playing this on a 40+ inch HDTV, so I won't just make sure you do it before you die.


The PS3 also comes bundled with one of my favorite application: Folding@home, this will effectively mean my PS3 will never be turned off lets just hope it last longer than my third X360 in 2 years...

Samsung NC10 Review - Writers Paradise

I bought one of these for 400e a few months ago and I've since realised something.

I love the NC10, I literally think it's the greatest technological marvel in a long time. Not for any particular technology it incorporates but the face that it does everything so damn well.

The size is perfect for writing or web browsing around the house. Not too big and not too small. The led screen is also very bright and will have a good life time.

The keyboard is perfect for writing on, almost full size and comfortable as hell. I write a LOT and the keyboard never hurts my fingers like the keyboard on my R70 is doing right now. The travel is good and there is a cushioned effect. Additionally the keys incorporate some kind of nano-technology to keep bacteria from multiplying on it. I've been using the NC10 religiously for over four months now and it is still as pristine as the day I bought it.



The battery life on this is amazing. You will easily get five hours with heavy usage. This is realistic figure, full screen brightness, running word and a web browser constantly, this is the battery life you will get. And it's just enough to use all day on and off without having to recharge.

Anecdote time. I had a trip to Birmingham recently for a fencing competition. I used the NC10 while waiting to board my plane and then took it onboard with me as hand luggage. I was using it on and off all day until the time came for me to fly back.

Well, my aer lingus flight got delayed by two hours. With me in the plane. It was cramped, there was a baby going mental behind me and I was VERY glad I my NC10 with me. Messing around with chess and minesweeper was the only thing that kept me sane. A lesser battery would have died long before I had even got to the airport.

The look. Well, this is the one subjective point but I thought I'd include it anyway. I love the look of the NC10, it's like a miniature R70 so if you are a Samsung fanboy like myself it'll look right at home.

Okay, enough love. What is there to hate about this thing?

Well, there is a little plastic cover that goes over the leds at the front of the netbook. This is made from really cheap plastic and kind of detracts from the feel of quality. One icy day I slipped and fell on my NC10 which was in my bag at the time. The NC10 was unharmed but that piece of plastic broke. Sure, it's never a good idea to fall on top of your netbook but it still shows how that thing is the weakest link.

I also replaced the hard drive with a 20gig SSD. I'm not sure if it made a diference at all battery wise but it did cool the laptop down a bit and made it pretty much 100% silent. Not really a necessary upgrade but I felt it was worth it. Upgrade guides are easy to find online and getting the thing open was easy enough. (You have to give it at a bit of pressure and at first it seems like it's not going to open without breaking though.)

Well, all in all it's an excellent purchase. And I think it is ESPECIALY good if you intend to do a lot of writing with it. I'm not sure if there's a writers netbook of the year award... Sure I'll make one myself.

The NC10, THE BINARY REFINERYS - WRITERS NETBOOK OF THE YEAR 2009.

Sennheiser MX60 Review - Sounds Awesome

So I was able to trade a baguette for Alan's old Sennheisers following his recent defection from Germany to Austria.



First thing I did with these babies was rip off the fuzzy stuff that was covering them. This removed the low volume problems that Alan was having and really let them shine. Bass on these is reasonable but overall sound quality is excellent. They are also very comfortable in my ears.

Sennheiser dominate the mid range in ear headphone market with their products having excellent cost to quality ratio. And if you can pick one up for cheap like I did I recommend it.

One thing they really need to work on however is their numbering system. They have like 15 diferent products in the MX series with no identifiable diference between "lanyard included", "attached cable winder." This is the kind of thing that puts you off as it is obviously Sennheisers way of attempting to attract the casual audience as opposed to people who actualy appreciate their music. The fuzzy things over the ear phones were more evidence to this. (Would anyone leave these on?)

Sennheiser make excellent audio equipment but they really need to have their marketing department shot.

AKG K319 Impressions - Pure Fidelity

Had these AKG K319 Earphones for the past few days now, despite having my reservations when the sales person told me these are the best earphones just cause the numbers on the box for frequency response is higher than all the others I must admit, the hippy was right.

These earphone are actually much louder than the Sennheiser MX60 earphones it replaced, it also features nice bass response (for in-ear earphones) and a incredible acoustic fidelity only limited by the piss poor bit-rate of my mp3, I shall have to try out some flac track in the coming days.

The looks of these earphones is also very cool in my opinion, they are rock solid which leads me to believe that it may not be plastic, but some alien alloy. There is no flex at all no matter how hard I tried to bend it.

Of course, speaker (in this case earphones) without a matching player is not much use, and this is where my Sony Ericsson X1 (a.k.a. SEX1 -wtf?) also did its part in contributing to the best in-ear experiance I have had in a long time. Window mobile media player certainly does the job if a phone to you is something that allows you to run sql servers (yes I meant the compact edition).

So in a nut shell, SEX1 and AKG K319 is the combo to beat for my next adventure in techno land, which let me assure you is very soon.

Until next time, remember there is only 10 options in life, on or off.