2K Games is working on Civilization World which seems like an appropriate name given the platform. Facebook will add a social aspect that brings the experience to another level. Granted, its a dumbed down version of the game so no fancy graphics, however, you can cooperate or play against friends throughout the game without investing too much time. Definitely seems like something I’m willing to try out.
Check out the promotional videos below:
The phone’s sexy curves are made from a fancy-schmancy piece of “polycarbonate” which should make it hard to spot scratches. They did away with that annoying button on the face present in the N8 and E7 and just have one multipurpose button to the side (besides the volume rocker). You can also double tap the screen which will “wake” the phone. You can then swipe across the full length of the phone horizontally or vertically to get to the home screen. This gesture is also how you get in and out of apps quickly.
The phone is sporting an 8 MP camera with a Carl Zeiss auto-focus lens. The display is a 3.9 inch curved piece of Gorilla Glass. The N9 also comes with NFC (Near Field Communication) which means tap to play or pay with other devices which support NFC functionality are a go!
It doesn’t look like Nokia have set a definite date, but it’s supposed to drop sometime “later this year”
Horrible awesome new product puts a whole new meaning to fast results. Abs just not what they used to be? Too busy to care? Well you’ll love this product called the “Ab-Hancer.” It literally takes your existing folds and molds them into a six pack shape thus making the old-fashioned work out a thing of the past. Women have padded bras and now we too have a tool to fool the opposite sex into thinking we are more attractive than we really are. I just hope they come out with one for the chest cause this man bra chafes! Thanks for sending in Cat.
[source: Buzzfeed]
Creative Director Ken Levine talks about the origins of the “Skyline” that you will be utilizing in the game. There is new footage of the skyline at work, and it looks like an awesome roller coaster with people shooting at you.
The Sony PSP has finally been revisited and completely revamped. The end product is that pretty little thing you see above. The PS Vita, as its called, has all sorts of goodies under the hood. For starters, it will come with front and rear facing cameras, 3G and Wifi, dual joysticks, and a 5 inch screen. You will reportedly be able to speak with other gamers while playing and even play with gamers near by. Retail price is looking like $249. Take a look at the video below:
[source: Slashgear]
Was appalled at the behavior of this young man on the train this past Memorial Day Weekend. The young man, trying to assert himself, was yelling and disrespecting his girlfriend. As he continued to curse her out in public. After please to calm down the young man hit the woman in the chin with his elbow feigning ignorance of the act. The below was the result.
video by IGB Slic
Bioshock Fans,
looks like you’re in for a treat with irrational game’s new addition to the Bioshock series. The game takes place in the air rather than underwater this time. The graphics look stellar. See below for propaganda art and video.
If you enjoy either Bill O’Reilly or Jon Stewart you will definitely enjoy the below clip of these two titans going toe to toe. I think Jon Stewart won this round. What do you think?
So did I mention this phone is sexy? I got the Austin Martin Grey (ok I made that up). The phone just looks and feels nice in the hand. It has gentle angular curves on both ends of the device much like the N8 which no other device really has. It’s not the thinnest device, but it doesn’t feel flimsy at all like the Nexus S or the Galaxy S. In fact, it’s sturdy enough to hang out in the pocket all day and come out unscathed without the aid of conventional phone armor. I’m still not a fan of the slidy-nob to unlock but at least the center button serves that function as well. There is also another slidy-nob on the top right of the device that serves as a zoom in/out or volume control which I found clever. I also loved the slide-out sim-card trey. It keeps you from having to open the phone for switching sims if your into that kinda thing.
Again, I love the fact that it comes with a mini HDMI slot and adapter for Hi Definition output. Dual LED lights for a nice bright flash instead of the commoner’s one LED light source. Really spacious and well thought out keyboard that slides into a provocative pose. Though it takes a little getting used to at first, the sliding mechanism is quite sturdy and unique. Most people I showed the phone to were pleasantly surprised with the hidden keyboard. These are the little things that make the phone pleasant to use. The 4″ AMOLED screen certainly doesn’t hurt either. The display is quite bright and is makes video playback look great.
You can stay connected through your OVI password. I liked being able to stay logged into my facebook and twitter and get updates via the widget on one of my homescreens. You also get updates from your different email accounts as well as messages from contacts.
On more than one occasion, I did notice the phone quality seriously depreciate. The audio would sort of pop, almost like an old vinyl record would. Not sure what that was about, but it wasn’t often. However, I did notice it and thought it worth a mention. Other than that the audio quality was on par with my other phone experiences.
I’m not clear on what the vision is for the Symbian browser, but I wasn’t too impressed with the browsing experience. It was fairly fast on my T-mobile “3.5g” connection, however, I found it cumbersome to navigate. It would give me a list of sites to navigate, but it always felt like I was doing too much work to get from one place to another. The phone never really supplied me with possible sites I was trying to type out, nor was it visually engaging. Of course you can bookmark, the surfing with more than one window open wasn’t very elegant and was definitely difficult to do while on the go. You had to stop what you were doing in order to navigate and that can be a little annoying in a city like NY where I need my info ASAP while I’m on the street.
The keyboard definitely helped with text input but I am still unsure of why Nokia doesn’t just break down and add a full digital keyboard for both portrait and landscape modes. Why do I have a number pad in portrait mode? It’s useful when talking with the drone on the other end of the phone when trying to pay a bill or turn the cable back on, but that’s about it. Wish there was at least an option to switch between keyboards. I also didn’t like being taken to a text area when typing up an email or response to a text. I think it would look better if I would see the text right there next to the original received message without first going into that text box. It feels like an extra step which ads to the time it takes to get simple things like that done.
Why oh why did you skinch on the camera for the E7? Give it the bulgy eye like you did with the N8. I don’t care if you guys were concerned about the slimness. I like my phones with curves in all the right places! I thought 8 Megapixels was good, but no true focus killed it for me. All of the pieces for a great shooting experience and no control over focus ruins the fun. It’s like going to the mall on a shopping spree and only having a dollar to spend. Ok I’m being a bit dramatic, but it did feel funky. I ended up wanting to wait till I got my true camera for picture taking.
Overall I enjoyed the device and I can’t sing enough praises about how well made and beautiful the device looked and felt in hand. Other than a few funky sounding calls, and camera disappointments, I enjoyed using the phone and wouldn’t mind owning the device. However, I must say that Symbian is beginning to feel a bit aged, especially when I compare it to iOS or Android. It’s a shame because the phone itself is a true beauty.
You can find the specs here
After missions, the game allows you to make customizations to weapons you have earned. This way, you can get to know your weapon more…intimately. This also helps taking out the enemy easier. In many shooters, I don’t really get the ability to customize until you get online so this is a welcome characteristic
So there is this diamond that is always onscreen. Its main purpose is to point you to areas of interest. Since the game is pretty linear, you end up following it to the end of the mission. Stay sharp though because it doesn’t alert you to ambushes.
As a guy who likes to play war-strategy games on the pc, I really liked the ability to command your fellow comrads. Socom 4: U.S. Navy Seals takes it a little further by giving you a little more than many other games in the same genre. You can delay attacks to coordinate kills as well as set way points so you can be a little bit more strategic with the way you play the game. Two thumbs up for tactics!
As I mentioned before, the game is linear, and this can get to be a little annoying at times. You find yourself in one of two situations. Either being lulled into a pattern of game-play then someone suddenly shoots you or you being frustrated by not getting to explore and finish the level in your own way. It’s not very “sandboxy” so you pretty much have to do what the designers had in mind.
very little environment interaction. I took away from being brought into the Socom universe. The shrubbery doesn’t move when you’re hiding in it. You kind of phase right through the leaves. It’s small, but I thought that was a detail that adds to the ambiance of the the game as a whole. Also, you don’t seem to get burned by fire when its smoldering on the ground, and you can’t do a ton of exploring even though you can do some. Also on one of the early stealth missions, silent kills weren’t so stealthy but none of the guards seemed to notice the guy yelling or the splattered blood on the ground. Again, not a huge deal, but it detracts from the believability of the game scenarios.
This is something that most will probably get over with trial and error. But if your new to the franchise get ready for a big learning curve. zooming in to kill the enemy literally takes three button presses and keeping track of your gear is simple but time consuming when in battle. Switching between first and third person views can be disconcerting as well. It’s doable ofcourse but very tough at first.
Very good, but I’ve played better. Got to say that the command system was one of the best I’ve played with so far. I’m a big fan of war strategy games and this power is definitely for those who like to control the action at a micro level. However, so many controls felt cumbersome at times especially when in the middle of a large fire fight. Oftentimes I had to die a couple times just trying to get my controls down. That said, it was quite enjoyable taking baddies down with precision and control and it’s definitely worth checking out and adding to the collection if you like shooters.
