Monday, June 6, 2011
E3 Coverage - Microsoft Press Conference
Microsoft gave an amazing press conference today, focusing on new releases, nearly all of them Kinect compatible. While I expected the Kinect heavy lineup, I was blown away by some of what was presented.
Modern Warfare 3:
The demo they showed was an underwater sub mission. I've been disappointed with the last few CoD titles, but I have to say this one does look epic. I'm happy that we're going to be back in modern times with incredibly realistic graphics. Call of Duty MW3 DLC will be available FIRST on Xbox 360. Look for this one releasing November 8th, 2011.
Tomb Raider:
The game features a 21 year old Lara Croft in the situation that makes her the Tomb Raider we all know and love. Shipwrecked and held captive, Lara has to use her survival instincts to free herself. The game is 3rd person and is intense and visceral. The game will feature open environments and exploration as well. Release will be sometime in Q4 2012.
Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Future Soldier:
The main focus during this demo was on the full Kinect compatibility in the gameplay with body tracking being used even for motion and firing. Close your fist to fire, open it to stop firing and the gun points according to where your body turns. The graphics are just as good as what was featured in the MW3 demo and this looks to be an intensely immersive gaming experience. Weapons will be totally customizable for each situation, right down to the inner parts. Players can choose to have the game customize them automatically, or do the customization themselves. No release date was announced, however it was announced that ALL future Tom Clancy titles will be fully Kinect compatible.
Gears of War 3:
Horde mode is BACK, baby, and Ice T has reunited Body Count to do a song about it. Jicinto has fallen, and your ragtag group is now floating on the ocean aboard a huge ship. They're being chased by a giant infected and extremely pissed off Leviathan. They touted this as being the "best, most polished Gears of War title yet," giving us all something to look forward to.
Fable The Journey:
The end of Albion is coming, and now, all that matters is the journey itself. Heroes are no longer born but made, and once again that is your role. Again fully Kinect compatible I was thrilled to see during the demo the spell action where you actually physically "charge" and "throw" your spells at enemies. This is coming sometime in 2012.
Forza Motorsports 4:
This game will feature Kinect voice and head tracking, monthly expansions, and up to 16 player multiplayer on Xbox Live. There will also be Xbox Live car clubs where you can show off your customized cars. This game will have something for the casual fans as well as hardcore racing gamers. Look for it October 11, 2011.
RYSE:
This totally new game is a first person totally Kinect compatible RPG taking place during the fall of the Roman Empire. Use your body to fight, swing your sword and move through the world in what looks to be a fantastically immersive experience. Even during the demo control looked smooth, without the lag that sometimes occurs with Kinect motion control.
Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition:
The classic Halo has been remade and remastered with enhanced and updated multiplayer maps and online coop. 7 classic multiplayer maps as well as a fully remastered campaign. This one is coming November 15th.
Kinect Sports Season 2:
This game will feature golf, darts, tennis, baseball, football, and skiing. The golf game allows you to use voice commands in order to change clubs, and you can now use a totally natural swing, just like you would on the golf course. The football app allows you to voice call plays, and features multiplayer coop.
Mass Effect 3:
As the rumors predicted, Mass Effect 3 will feature Kinect support to provide a more immersive experience. Instead of using the controller to select your conversation options, you will now be able to use Kinect voice support to speak the lines yourself. You will also be able to use voice commands during combat to tell your team members when to move up, hold position or regroup. Earth has been taken and Commander Shepard has to get it back. Coming in Q1 2012.
Kinect Star Wars:
Fight as a Jedi on Tatooine, Corouscant, Endor, and other worlds from the movies. Want Kinect control of your lightsaber? You got it. Want Kinect capability for force push ability? You got it! This may be the ultimate game for Star Wars fans.
Minecraft:
That's right, I said Minecraft. The incredibly popular PC game that lets you build your own world and explore worlds built by your friends is coming to console, exclusively on the Xbox 360 this winter.
Dance Central 2:
One of the most exciting features of the new Dance Central is the simultaneous multiplayer dance off , and the inclusion of a new campaign mode. All Dance Central 1 songs will be able to be imported into the new game, making more than 100 songs available for play at the release.
Kinect Funlabs:
Kinect Funlabs will let you explore the best of community created programs for the Kinect. This is going LIVE TODAY, so be sure to check it out. Apps that use facial and body scanning to truly make YOU the avatar, a finger tracking program that lets you create totally 3D art, and object capture that allows you to create a virtual version of any object.
Microsoft also announced some new features coming to Xbox Live. This year, Microsoft will be introducing 10 times more partnerships including Bing voice search which will search libraries in Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Microsoft Entertainment and Music catalogs to bring you the content that you want. Even more exciting is the fact that this year Microsoft will be bringing live TV including news, sports and local channels.
Finally, I'll wrap it up with Microsoft's biggest surprise - a new TRILOGY coming to Xbox 360:
That, my friends is a screen shot from the announcement trailer of Halo 4. And they did announce it as a new TRILOGY.
Happy gaming! Come back for more coverage later this evening.
E3 Coverage!
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the event that gamers across the country look forward to each year. Be sure to keep your eye on this blog for my coverage of the press conferences, and what's been announced for the year ahead.
First up is Microsoft, and should be interesting! There's been a ton of speculation that they'll be announcing a TV service this year after seeing the success of adding Netflix and Hulu Plus to their Xbox Live service. We'll see! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled here for updates!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Game Review: Portal 2
Portal 2 has been much anticipated throughout the country over these last several weeks. Last night I finally got the chance to sit down and play it myself. Here are my initial (spoiler-free) thoughts:
Portal 2 is overall just better than the original. It's funnier, more challenging, and longer. Both the graphics and the physics are better than in the original, and the single player storyline is great. The trusty Portal Gun is still your main mode of transportation in both single player and multiplayer, but new challenges have been added such has mirror cubes and tractor beams. There are times in single-player where you're required to change your portal's location in mid-air and other fun challenges. Sometimes the solutions are obvious and easy, but there are other times when you'll have to muddle through every single option until suddenly you realize the answer has been staring you in the face all along.
The single player story is great, giving you more insight into Aperature's history. GLaDOS is even more insane and the character dialog is even more hilarious than in the original. You're playing as Chell again, dragged back to Aperature and undergoing more testing by the not-dead-or-destroyed GLaDOS. The facility is quite worse for the wear, however. The attention to detail in the game is amazing, and the graphics are truly a delight for the eyes.
For me, though, the best part about Portal 2 is the multiplayer, where you and your partner work together through testing challenges. Portal 2 introduced a gesture system of communication for those who prefer not to use voice chat. While GLaDOS insists it's not a competition, in her own sadistic way she still tries to pit you and your partner against each other. Players earn "collaboration" points for figuring things out, and GLaDOS constantly hints that one of you is doing "better" than the other. She also takes great pleasure when one of you is accidentally destroyed by the other, handing out bonus points for extra cruelty. With 2 portal entrances and exits in play the multiplayer mode can get especially tricky, but it is super fun to have your partner falling in an endless loop and then suddenly change the portal location to have them rocket off at an angle to land on a seemingly unreachable platform.
To wrap it up - Portal 2 is awesome, and in every way better than the already great original. The single player story is more in depth and the multiplayer is sure to keep you coming back for more.
Score: 9.5/10
*Disclaimer: I have not been paid by Valve or any other entity for this review.
Portal 2 is overall just better than the original. It's funnier, more challenging, and longer. Both the graphics and the physics are better than in the original, and the single player storyline is great. The trusty Portal Gun is still your main mode of transportation in both single player and multiplayer, but new challenges have been added such has mirror cubes and tractor beams. There are times in single-player where you're required to change your portal's location in mid-air and other fun challenges. Sometimes the solutions are obvious and easy, but there are other times when you'll have to muddle through every single option until suddenly you realize the answer has been staring you in the face all along.
The single player story is great, giving you more insight into Aperature's history. GLaDOS is even more insane and the character dialog is even more hilarious than in the original. You're playing as Chell again, dragged back to Aperature and undergoing more testing by the not-dead-or-destroyed GLaDOS. The facility is quite worse for the wear, however. The attention to detail in the game is amazing, and the graphics are truly a delight for the eyes.
For me, though, the best part about Portal 2 is the multiplayer, where you and your partner work together through testing challenges. Portal 2 introduced a gesture system of communication for those who prefer not to use voice chat. While GLaDOS insists it's not a competition, in her own sadistic way she still tries to pit you and your partner against each other. Players earn "collaboration" points for figuring things out, and GLaDOS constantly hints that one of you is doing "better" than the other. She also takes great pleasure when one of you is accidentally destroyed by the other, handing out bonus points for extra cruelty. With 2 portal entrances and exits in play the multiplayer mode can get especially tricky, but it is super fun to have your partner falling in an endless loop and then suddenly change the portal location to have them rocket off at an angle to land on a seemingly unreachable platform.
To wrap it up - Portal 2 is awesome, and in every way better than the already great original. The single player story is more in depth and the multiplayer is sure to keep you coming back for more.
Score: 9.5/10
*Disclaimer: I have not been paid by Valve or any other entity for this review.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
.....Good Morning, Dave.......
You science fiction fans out there will recognize that line from 2001: A Space Odyssey. What if we could take HAL 9000 and make it real? Well, you know, minus the murderous tendencies.
Just imagine: you sit down at your desk, and after a moment for the facial recognition to log you in your virtual assistant asks you how your day is going and what she can help you with. She then reminds you of your schedule, tells you the weather, and reads you a few of your emails.
Sound far-fetched? Meet Denise, the new virtual assistant from Brazilian company Guile 3D Studios:
Total awesomeness, right? It gets even better. The basic version of Denise is available at the Guile 3D website for only $100. The Platinum and Business editions will run you a bit more, but are still incredibly inexpensive. All I can say is that I want one.
I have not been paid by Guile 3D Studios for this post.
You science fiction fans out there will recognize that line from 2001: A Space Odyssey. What if we could take HAL 9000 and make it real? Well, you know, minus the murderous tendencies.
Just imagine: you sit down at your desk, and after a moment for the facial recognition to log you in your virtual assistant asks you how your day is going and what she can help you with. She then reminds you of your schedule, tells you the weather, and reads you a few of your emails.
Sound far-fetched? Meet Denise, the new virtual assistant from Brazilian company Guile 3D Studios:
Total awesomeness, right? It gets even better. The basic version of Denise is available at the Guile 3D website for only $100. The Platinum and Business editions will run you a bit more, but are still incredibly inexpensive. All I can say is that I want one.
I have not been paid by Guile 3D Studios for this post.
Monday, April 18, 2011
BYU Students Take Eye Control to the Next Level
Okay, I'm sure you all remember when I posted about the awesome eye-controlled laptop from Tobii a while back, right? If you don't, you can always scroll down a bit and have a look.
Well, now some students from BYU are taking eye-control technology it a step further by adding something that's really needed in the EC market - affordablility. You see, even Tobii's system, the PCEye is considered to be inexpensive in the EC market, and it costs a whopping $6,900. Let's face it, that's not something most people with the types of disabilities these systems are designed for can afford.
So, the students from BYU partnered up with EyeTech Digital Systems and created a Windows 7 tablet PC using eye tracking software developed by previous students (also partnered with EyeTech Digital). This was all part of their year-long capstone engineering requirement. The tablet is a bit thicker than usual, but only cost them $1,500. When you consider that an ordinary Windows 7 tablet retails for around $750, that's really not bad!
The eye tracking software uses a camera to track where a user is looking. This allows a user to control the cursor simply by moving their gaze around a screen. Blinking will perform a mouse click. The tablet will run any Windows program, from Solitare to Skype, and EyeTech Digital plans to market the technology as an alternative to the sophisticated systems that are already out there.
And hey, at that price, even tech enthusiasts like me could consider buying one. I can definitely see the possibilities.
Well, now some students from BYU are taking eye-control technology it a step further by adding something that's really needed in the EC market - affordablility. You see, even Tobii's system, the PCEye is considered to be inexpensive in the EC market, and it costs a whopping $6,900. Let's face it, that's not something most people with the types of disabilities these systems are designed for can afford.
So, the students from BYU partnered up with EyeTech Digital Systems and created a Windows 7 tablet PC using eye tracking software developed by previous students (also partnered with EyeTech Digital). This was all part of their year-long capstone engineering requirement. The tablet is a bit thicker than usual, but only cost them $1,500. When you consider that an ordinary Windows 7 tablet retails for around $750, that's really not bad!
The eye tracking software uses a camera to track where a user is looking. This allows a user to control the cursor simply by moving their gaze around a screen. Blinking will perform a mouse click. The tablet will run any Windows program, from Solitare to Skype, and EyeTech Digital plans to market the technology as an alternative to the sophisticated systems that are already out there.
And hey, at that price, even tech enthusiasts like me could consider buying one. I can definitely see the possibilities.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Check out the new gadget!
Hey guys! Just wanted to draw your attention to that handy little gadget labeled "ChaCha Search" on the right hand side of the screen.
ChaCha is a neat mobile app and website that is totally free to use, and will answer any question you have while you're on the go. You can text your question in to 242242, or call it in to 18002ChaCha. They also have a mobile smartphone app (available on iTunes). You can catch them on Twitter or Facebook as well. Each question is handled by a live human guide and the answers are super fast. Things like 411 business look ups, movie times, sports scores, etc. are unlimited, while more difficult questions (say... sending in your chemistry homework....) have a limit of questions you can ask. If you get a message that says something to the effect of "We didn't understand you..." just keep trying, or ask one of the unlimited question.
ChaCha also sends out jokes, pranks, and tons of other stuff. Definitely worth a look. Visit their website at www.chacha.com.
(Disclosure: while I am one of the "human guides" that works at ChaCha to answer your questions, I have not been paid to post the gadget or write this post.)
ChaCha is a neat mobile app and website that is totally free to use, and will answer any question you have while you're on the go. You can text your question in to 242242, or call it in to 18002ChaCha. They also have a mobile smartphone app (available on iTunes). You can catch them on Twitter or Facebook as well. Each question is handled by a live human guide and the answers are super fast. Things like 411 business look ups, movie times, sports scores, etc. are unlimited, while more difficult questions (say... sending in your chemistry homework....) have a limit of questions you can ask. If you get a message that says something to the effect of "We didn't understand you..." just keep trying, or ask one of the unlimited question.
ChaCha also sends out jokes, pranks, and tons of other stuff. Definitely worth a look. Visit their website at www.chacha.com.
(Disclosure: while I am one of the "human guides" that works at ChaCha to answer your questions, I have not been paid to post the gadget or write this post.)
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