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Microsoft Arc Touch

May 23rd, 2011 - 1 Comment

Microsoft Arc Touch

  • 1,000dpi, BlueTrack
  • Two buttons with touch strip
  • 2.4GHz data transfer rate
  • Magnetic USB receiver

Microsoft Arc Touch
This is how you, well, reinvent the wheel. Instead of the usual scroll wheel, Microsoft has put a touch-scroll pad on its Arc Touch mouse, which also offers vibration feedback to users when they slide their fingers across the slim device.

With this improved feel, you are in better control of how fast or slow you are scrolling, much like when using an actual wheel.

As the Touch uses Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology, which tracks on any surface, you can easily use it on a bed, wooden table, airport lounge chair or train seat without a mouse pad.

It is designed for travellers. This mouse is collapsible – it can be flattened and tucked neatly into any purse or pocket. When snapped back in place, it forms the curved shape that resembles a mouse.

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Lufia: Curse Of The Sinistrals

May 18th, 2011 - No Comments

Lufia: Curse Of The Sinistrals

Remakes are double-edged swords. Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is a mostly-mirrored port of Lufia II: Rise Of The Sinistrals back on Super Nintendo. This is a good thing.

Curse of the Sinistrals has a story that does not take itself too seriously. The world is humming happily when villain Gades busts out a challenge: Defeat him or humanity is destroyed.

Cocky monster hunter Maxim does and promptly gets his rump kicked. From there on, you take over the reins and set off to get stronger and go for a rematch, Rocky Balboa style.

The biggest change is the switch from traditional turn-based battles to an action role-playing game. This means players actively swing their swords, jump, dodge and unleash special moves like Guy’s boulder-shattering hammer swing.

It has also been overhauled with 3-D graphics, which, while not fantastic, are decent enough. Puzzles are of the ‘pick the right character’s special ability for the job’ variety.

However, this is also where the game stumbles. It is possible to make puzzles unsolvable. Burn the wrong block of ice or break the wrong statue and the only recourse is to reload a previous saved game.

It also sometimes prioritises looking pretty over actual gameplay. The camera will sometimes swing overhead or let characters keep running into the distance. This can make fighting enemies difficult.

Still, so long as players are careful, Curse of the Sinistrals is a fun romp smacking down enemies and watching Maxim eventually triumph against evil.

Play now: Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals

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Donkey Kong Country Returns

May 13th, 2011 - No Comments

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Donkey Kong, a gorilla and one of the more notable characters in Nintendo’s stable, returns bananas and all in this hit for the Nintendo Wii.

Unlike other heroes, Donkey Kong‘s justification for trampling through levels such as tropical islands and abandoned mines is not to save the world. It is to get back his tasty bananas, stolen by a motley crew of memorably funny enemies such as crabs and ostriches.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a tough but fair platformer. Players guide Kong as he jumps along precarious ledges or rolls quickly past dangerous pits of lava using the Wii-Mote. Since Kong’s a gorilla, his gravity and momentum make for a character that lumbers along.

While realistic, it is also initially frustrating. Dying unintentionally is never fun. Once I got used to controlling the simian, though, I found that the only deaths that occurred later were mine to blame.

And if you really get stuck in a stage, an aged gorilla helpfully offers to complete the level and even boss fights, for you.

Visually, the game is fantastic and really pushes the Wii platform to the limits. There is always something going on, such as a pirate ship in the background firing cannons at Kong, or the flickering of torches lighting the way in the mineshaft.

Nostalgic gamers will be pleased to know that the soundtrack is a remix of the original game from Super Nintendo. It sounds fantastic and is never out of place.

Dozens of challenges such as collecting the K-O-N-G letters scattered in each level add to the replayability.

While the game offers a cooperative mode, this is actually a trap. Its already challenging levels of crumbling floors and swaying ledges becomes nigh-unplayable when two players try to do it concurrently. It is possibly one of the only low points of the game.

Click for more offer: Donkey Kong Country Returns Action/Adventure games on Nintendo Wii.

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Kirby’s Epic Yarn

May 9th, 2011 - No Comments

Kirby's Epic Yarn

The latest instalment of the Kirby series proves that games on the Nintendo Wii can look good even though the console does not support high-definition graphics.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn has our little pink hero stuck in Patch Land, where everything, including Kirby and other characters, are made of materials that you can find at a sewing craft store.

The game is a fantastic visual treat. Its development team has made clever use of virtual felt, cloth, buttons and lengths of yarn to create a very interactive game environment. The textures of materials used in the graphics set are so beautifully displayed, they look almost real.

Like the previous games in the series, gamers take control of Kirby and try to navigate through various stages while defeating enemies.

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SingStar Dance Cheat Sheet

May 4th, 2011 - 1 Comment

SingStar Dance Cheat Sheet
While the game has been officially released here, which allows users to buy more songs, is not. There are three SingStore catalogues online, from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. While the three markets offer the same songs, there are some that are unique to each market.

To get around the restrictions, you have to create a PlayStation Network (PSN) account for the country that holds the catalogue you want to access.

You will then need to purchase a PSN Network Card, which are prepaid cards, from that country.

So if you want to buy songs from the UK, create a UK PSN account and get the UK PSN card.

A PSN card for one market will not work in a store in another.

With the low US exchange rate right now, I recommend starting out with the US store and stocking up on the cards online.

With the disc, log in to your US account and enter the store via the game. You can then purchase any song, as long as you have credits.

Song packs, which contain multiple songs, are cheaper than buying each individually.

Go easy

The gamer in you insists that you reject the easy levels, but if you just want to sing, pick the easy mode.

You get better scores while on this mode and can unlock more in-game trophies. After all, you are not challenging the game but the person holding on to the other microphone in a sing-off.

Now let’s SingStar Dance Party.

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Harvest Moon: Hero Of Leaf Valley

April 29th, 2011 - 1 Comment

Harvest Moon: Hero Of Leaf Valley

The Harvest Moon series is an established franchise that dates back to 1996. It is a quirky take on the role-playing genre, with a farming twist.

It usually starts with your main character inheriting a farm and then growing crops and rearing animals to supply a nearby town with food.

The series places a strong focus on building friendships. In certain games, your character can even woo a partner, get married and raise a family.

In this Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley installment, you have just inherited your grandfather’s farm in the peaceful village of Leaf Valley, but there is a crisis. The Funland company is planning to turn the place into a theme park.

The only way you can save Leaf Valley is to make your farm successful with the help of the villagers.

This charming game features pretty impressive graphics and entertaining gameplay, although it is slow to load.

This Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley game world may be small, but farming, fishing and mining will keep you busy for hours. Relationships and romance also play a big part and you can woo one of several village girls and marry her.

Download now: Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley

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Nintendo 3DS not for children below 6

April 23rd, 2011 - No Comments

The eagerly awaited Nintendo hand-held 3-D gaming device, the 3DS, may not be suitable for children under six.

The warning was posted last Tuesday on the video game company’s Japanese website, technology website PCMag reported.

The 3DS enables 3-D gaming without the need of special glasses The webpage said that as the eyes of children under six are not fully developed, 3-D gaming on the 3DS could disrupt that development.

The advice recommends that 3-D functions be blocked for young children using the device’s controls. Games can still be played in 2-D.

Older players are advised to take a break after 30 minutes of 3-D play.

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