Affordable Wii Alternative!?!?!???

So I was out and about and stumbled across this in a popular drug store….

Zone??

It’s called the ZONE.  Sounds kind of lame but what can you say for an ‘0ff-brand’ version of the Wii.  Lets face it folks in this economy, no idea is purely original.  First it was the Playstation Move and Xbox360 Kinect and now ZONE!  This is indeed a poor mans Wii and it comes equipped with 32 games ( for the small version: seen at the top of the photo)   and then a whopping 60 games for the larger system.  I didn’t capture the price for the  small system but the larger one is only 39.99…. but wait is that a sale sign for 29.99??????  😀    I somehow doubt this system is competitive for holiday sales against the Move and Kinect systems but hey at least they have bang for your buck right?  ….. right???

Well take a look at the large box, it even has ACCESSORIES included. These are the peripherals some folks spent big bucks on for the Wii from both Nintendo and a host of other third party manufacturers.  It looks like it comes with a tennis racquet, golf club and baseball bat and TWO “motion controllers”

I can’t say I was shocked to see this Wii imitation but I can say that they didn’t do much to mask the fact that this was purely an attempt to grab some of the holiday cash for those less informed consumers who believe that one thing is equal to another.  It is somewhat irritating to know that some kid wanting a Wii will open one of these up on Christmas morning to be sorely disappointed.  It reminds me of the people who ran and got a Samsung Instinct saying ” It’s just like the iPhone” *SMH*

I can safely say  DigitalDpad lists this one as a DON’T BUY!

racquets

Dead Ops Arcade unlock within Black Ops

There is an abundance of game within Call of Duty: Black Ops proper. A single player campaign, the usual robust multiplayer, and zombies were probably enough for my $60. But Treyarch didn’t stop there. Treyarch added a computer that you can access in the interactive main menu. Full of text, pictures, emails, and user files that flesh out the story. But the big bonus is Dead Ops Arcade. DOA is a top-down twin-stick shooter a la Geometry Wars where you kill zombies while collecting new gun power-ups. Coming from a person that didn’t care for Call of Duty 3, and didn’t purchase Call of Duty: World at War because the beta was enough for me, Treyarch is making it hard for me to experience any buyer’s remorse. Check it out!

Gran Turismo 5 has a November 24th Release Date

For all those Playstation car enthusiasts, your wait is almost over. Stand up and cheer! Again. Gran Turismo 5 has an updated release date of November 24th, 2010. I say 2010 because if you’ve followed any news about this game, you know not to head to Las Vegas and put your life savings on Polyphony Digital and Sony making this date.

But for those of you that have been holding your breathe waiting for this franchise (sans Gran Turismo 5 Prologue) to debut on the Playstation 3, you might be able to breath again.

However, do note that the countries listed on the post are the following: AE, AU, GB, IE, NZ. Notice anything missing????

Source: Playstation Blog

Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer Gameplay Video [UPDATE]

Just thought we’d put some multiplayer gameplay videos up for the last of you that are hesitant on taking the plunge into the behemoth that is Call of Duty: Black Ops. I’ll update this post with more videos as time goes on.

UPDATE:

New team deathmatch multiplayer video. This next video is on the map Crisis.

UPDATE:

Here’s another video. This one is a free-for-all match on the map Jungle. More Chopper Gunner!!! Killing Sprees abound!!!

This is Hilarious

Just a quickie. I found this video while searching for Black Ops game play footage and I have to say that it’s pretty funny.

When Gamers Attack

We all know that most gamers have a soft spot in their hearts for energy drinks. While at the midnight launch event for Call of Duty: Black Ops a few energy drink vendors stopped by. Poor little girls were rushed by rabid gamers hungry for free stuff. It was actually pretty funny. Check out the video….

Call of Duty: Black Ops Midnight Launch

Monday night a few of the Digital DPad/STL Gamer Crew made it out to the Black Ops launch event at GameStop. The paring lot was filled with nerds, energy drinks, marines, and excitement. While we were anxiously waiting for midnight Smoov LT shared what he is looking forward to the most in this new installment in the Call of Duty Series. ( I just noticed how weird I sound on camera )

I’m sure that there are many gamers that are happy to know that both juggernaut and stopping power are gone from the multi-player. This is going to really level the playing field. I ( JMichael88/J Deisel ) have not purchased the game as of yet but I am excited to play this weekend.

Call of Duty Black Ops Review and Launch Event

Coverage from the midnight release in Buckhead, GA  ( Atlanta if you didn’t know 🙂 )  Like most places around the nation the GameStop event started at 9pm EST, an hour earlier than my compadres in Saint Louis.

It was a smaller launch than you’ve probably seen around the web but still a good time with gamers and COD lovers alike. They provided the most unhealthy food ever, considering we were all going to rush home and sit on the couch for hours and play Black Ops….    HOT DOGS!!!!!   Basically anything you needed to keep yourself jacked up all night (Mountain Dew, Candy, Chips etc)  I did not partake in the hotdogs but I did have enough chips and candy to be ashamed of.

I was 3rd in line!  Most folks didn’t show up until the 10 o’clock hour and you could see that the immediately regretted it. The line grew to the entire length of the strip mall within an hour or so…

I must say I was pleased to see all types of people there.  It really proves that “there is a soldier in of all of us”.

Everyone, young, old, military, martial arts experts were there in anticipation of this much awaited title. My wife wouldn’t have been a fan of standning outside in the not so warm weather so KUDOS to the wives I saw out there pretending to be interested enough to endure.

There were raffles and give aways. One couple won a COD wallet and then with the same ticket  won a Gears of War wallet…… not sure why they didn’t remove you once you’ve won.   Hrmmmm.

 

This guy won a Call of Duty: Black Ops T-Shirt!

There was an  “I love Zombies” T-shirt as well.  Good times good times.

My first impressions of Call of Duty: Black Ops was a bit jarring… I had stopped playing Modern Warfare 2 for Halo Reach so I was a bit rusty on the side of fast paced realistic shooters…. plasma rifle anyone??   So I’ll admit, I got my @#%^ handed to me for he first couple of matches… but the maps were gorgeous!   So I hoped out of the multiplayer and warmed up in the all new ‘Combat Training’ mode.  This was an excellent way to get used to the maps and get the lay of the land.   The only drawback to combat training is that it requires a network connection since it is found in the XBOX LIVE section of the menus.   Speaking of menus the opening menus is just….. its just… well awesome.. buy the game and you’ll see.  Anyway, I digress.

After warming up I felt like I was at home again, and eventually earned enough COD credits to buy a red dot sight and really start pwning.   I love the currency system!! No more do you get rewarded for using a gun  for 10 hours. Instead, you can earn enough credits with the gun you love and simply purchase the upgrade for the new gun you want to try.  This gives the player a much better feeling of ownership with their classes.  Your set up is truly yours based on what you’ve decided to buy rather than just what level you are at the given moment.  There is a prestige mode so prepare to have this fun over and over again, for those of you who like that sort of thing.

Many will say Call of Duty Black Ops doesn’t “feel” like Modern Warfare 2.  My response to that is…. should it???  I mean i expected it to be different, and I for one think its better. I find my self less frustrated.  Shots seem to kill the person rather than giving me a hit marker just to see my enemy sprint away.  This could be due to the fact that the juggernaut perk is no where to be found in Black Ops.  HOOORAY!!!! no more getting cheated out of a kill because your enemy has a magical floating plus sign!  There is a “Hardened” perk which increases your bullet penetration but it says nothing about increasing bullet damage.  Treyarch’s decision to remove these “damage modifiers” really gives the game a balanced feel.  This welcomes newcomers as it doesn’t promote that feeling of  “WTF!?  I shot him first!” on your first match. Sniper rifles actually kill people….. hmmmmmm imagine that.   No more shooting a guy in the chest with a 50 cal sniper rifle and watching him live to tell the tale.   I’m not sure if the 50 cal is included in Black Ops but if it is prepare to see people taking dirt naps.

I’m excited about the new modes  Wager Match, and some of the new playlists including Bare Bones, which includes a mode called PURE  ( no perks, no attachments, no special equipment, no kill streaks)  giving you that good old feeling we got back in the Call of Duty 2 Days.   Many of the playlists are unlocked as you level up. This is good as it prevents noobs from playing more challenging game types like Hardcore until they have played the game enough to be ready.

There are more things to look forward to like having a custom reticle  (eg. a scull instead of a red dot)   Or posting my clan tag on my gun so everyone knows the final kill was us!

I could talk all day about this game look into some of the new modes on callofduty.com

Overall  Call of Duty Black Ops is a solid addition to the franchise and will keep COD lovers playing until the next one!  See you on my next kill streak!

Jason Thompson | TheImpetuousOne

 

Aaaaahhhhmmm Baaaaaacccckkkkk

Finally was able to fix my Xbox 360 woes, my Xbox has been out of commission for some time now. About two months and it was a very very painful two months. With titles like Fable 3 “if anybody knows me, I love the Fable series” and the new Star Wars game dropping I was really in a bad mood about not having an Xbox. Not to mention the $100 price tag Microsoft tried to make me pay to fix my old console.

$100 and a new Xbox costs $300? So I saved and was able to get the new Xbox “minus kinect” on Friday and i love it. You can’t even hear it while it’s running. This thing is SILENT! Oh, and the built-in wifi is a great touch too! Yep, So…. I was able to get a brand new Xbox right before the highly anticipated release of Call of Duty Black Ops. I’ll be getting Black Ops on release day and I’m ready to get it in!

Add me on XBL. Gamertag Barack Odrama X.

p.s. I’ll also be picking up Fifa 11 “I only play with Inter Milan… Gol! Eto’o!” and maybe NBA2k11 in the near future.

Mario 64 on iPhone 4!

We have seen Mario 64 running smoothly on jailbroken iOS4! If you don’t know what jailbreaking is, google it. 🙂 We’ve all seen gaming on mobile phones but this was exciting to see. Just think… these games once needed a console and a cartridge an it is now I’m the palm of your hand! Mario 64 seems to be the smoothest running N64 game I’ve seen on the device. Check it out:

Now, where the iPhone lacks is the absence of a keyboard… While this was the coolest feature back in 2007 when the iPhone launched, it is limiting when gaming on the mobile device. You either end up with buttons over your image or only using half the screen like you see above.

I was excited to see that the save feature worked also. And I’m not talking about save states but actually in game saves! The gyroscope and accelerometer are also used for camera adjustment controls.

Awesome stuff. The lack of an analog stick was missed when trying to run in a full circle but HEY playing Mario 64 on a phone is cool enough!

The mobile gaming industry ( The PSP, DS etc) has already been threatened by mobile phone devices. As far as graphics and processing speed, this is proof that they can hang with the best!