Gotta Have Gadget

Well if you combine Xbox and great audio, you would have the next product, the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega Headset.  OK, that is a mouthful; however the sound is an earful.  The first thing you should know is just because my loyalty is with Xbox, these headsets will play on any computer or gaming System.  What is really cool about this gaming headset is the surround sound.  Playing a game such as Left 4 Dead or Battlefield and you will know what direction your attacker is coming from, and not only left and right, but up and down!  If you think back a few years, Creative was the leader in audio sound with their “Sound Blaster” cards for your PC, they are taking gaming back with this headset.   Another cool feature of this system is you can customize and share audio settings.  There are so many cool and unique features in these headphones you have to visit us.creative.com to see them all!  All I can tell you is that if you have a gamer, they will love this headset!

I’ve been a big fan of Xbox360!  I have reviewed several games and consider myself a gamer.  Then Kinect for Xbox 360 arrived!  Unlike most of the other motion games, you don’t need any wires or controllers for the Kinect system.  Out of the box and installed within minutes, I was dancing like a fool playing “Dance Central!” A camera records all your moves and interacts live with the game, I realized quickly I cannot dance, but we had a lot of fun playing.  We quickly moved over to “Kinect Sports,” so I could show off my true talents.  Boxing, soccer, bowling and a few more with no strings attached, I felt like Pinocchio when he was turned into a little boy. Plus sequel titles, “Dance Central 2” and “Kinect Sports: Season Two,” will be available this holiday.  For more intense workouts, try “EA Sports Active 2” or “The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout!”  If you think you can’t get a good workout from a video game, think again!  Try to dog it, and you will learn quickly what the personal trainers think of your effort!  No matter what Kinect games you chose, you will probably work up a good sweat and have a lot of fun.  So if that special someone has an Xbox 360, Kinect will be a great present!  Check out all Xbox has to offer, as well as Kinect games at www.xbox.com.  If you dare, check out my testing of Dance Central!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cXjdDY4sfw

First things first, THANK YOU Microsoft for making this a multiplayer game!  I know most of the Xbox world plays on-line, but I’m an old school, have a couple beers with a buddy, shoot ‘em up guy!  Multiplayer two controller campaign games are becoming rare, so when Gears of War 3 showed up at the front door, I couldn’t wait to play.  You can actually have a four player co-op campaign going with Xbox Live, or grab a buddy and play on a split screen!  The Gears of War series is the most popular franchise in Xbox history.  I feel silly talking about graphics because honestly, is there a game around where the graphics don’t kick ass anymore?  However, just when I think graphics can’t get any better Gears of War 3 raises the bar.  The videos (some maybe a bit too lengthy) and game play are awesome.  I had to call my brother-in-arms neighbor Don up to check it out.  We had to pry Gears of War 3 away from my son, but once we started we couldn’t stop.  Gears of War 3 is a tactical battle game where the story line actually makes you want to go deeper into the game.  The Delta Team battle locust and critters that seem to pop out from everywhere.  Stick your head out for too long and it’s almost guaranteed to get shot off.  The good thing is in most cases a single shot won’t kill you, and the Delta Team is there to help you get back up should you be wounded.  A wide variety of weapons allows you to find one that works for best for you, and if you run out of ammo, you better hope you chose the Lancer with a chainsaw on the end!  If you think you are good on these types of games, you have to prove it in Gears of War 3!  You will need to beat the game first before unlocking the third level of difficulty.  The COG soldiers are gritty and damn tough looking.  There are plenty of funky enemies that have different levels of toughness to kill as well.  Dig in, and make sure you have time to play, because once you start, you may not be able to stop!  Check it out on-line at www.xbox.com/gearsofwar

Video games seem like they have been around forever!  Yes, I will be dating myself once again saying I remember playing “pong” and “battle tanks” on one of the original video game systems.  Some old school games are making a comeback.  In the days of A, B, X, Y, RT, LT, RB and LB one game that is making its way back to the playing field is Mega Man.  It was actually pretty funny watching my son get frustrated over a two button game.  Read the rest of this entry »

I have said it here before and I will say it again, EA SPORTS Rock!.  It cant be easy coming up with new features to add year after year, however EA SPORTS does it time and time again.  Madden NFL 11 now has GameFlow which is an offensive coordinator that can call the plays for you, and gives you tips right in your headset.  This is perfect for two player games.  No longer can your buddy narrow down you play to 1 of 3 choices when he peeks over at your plays.  I’m not too keen on all the in-game advertising, but other than that, I love the new Madden NFL 11. Read the rest of this entry »

I have to share some exciting news.  The Xbox 360 Elite has dropped $100 in price to a new MSRP of $299.  The Elite console comes with a massive 120 gig hard drive, headset and network cable, and for the holidays, two games Lego Batman and Pure.  I love the game selection as it gives you something for the entire family.  For the golfers in the family, test your skills against the best in EA SPORTS Tiger Woods PGA TOUR10.  Read the rest of this entry »

Review by Shane Morrison

Looking for an open world playground of Dirt, Aggression and Competition? Look no further, the geniuses over at Codemasters are at it again with FUEL.  This game is the definitive off-road junkies dream, catering to both those who enjoy tearing through the vast 50,000 square miles of terrain on either 2 or 4 wheels. This coupled with its 16 player online competition mode, makes this game a winning team. But would you expect less from the creators of the insanely popular rally Series Dirt? The game centers around working your way up through a series of 70 career races and challenges, working your way to the top of the FUEL racing circuit. These arent your normal A to B challenges either, were talking chasing helicopters over some of the most challenging terrain that modern gaming can offer, running down competitors in Baja trucks and muscle cars, or carving out your own path to over mountains and through rivers to the finish line in the time allotted.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sure you have all heard the term Freshman 15!  It is very common to go off to school and gain at least 15 pounds in your freshman year.  I have the perfect gadget to help keep the weight off.  If you are bringing a Wii with you to school, make sure you also bring EA Sports Active for the Wii.  I will be the first to admit to saying, OK what can a video game do to help me lose weight?  Read the rest of this entry »

For those who waited in line tonight, there is nothing is better than getting the boys together to play some Madden NFL 10 or NCAA Football 10 by EA SPORTS on the Xbox 360.  If you are going to a Big 10 college or your local state college, one cool thing about NCAA Football 10 is you can create your own team and put it in the game with NCAA Football 10 TeamBuilder.  Lets face it, my Fitchburg State College Eagles football team would never make it into an EA SPORTS game until now.  I went online to http://teambuilder.easports.com and created my team, customizing the players, strategy, colors, field and everything you can think of to make a custom team.  Read the rest of this entry »

This is my first straight to blog post.  People have said I have been looking tired the past few days, and quite frankly they are right!  The reason, Battlefield Heroes by Electronic Arts!  I have been up until 1:00am playing this interactive on-line game.  I know I am not alone as over ONE MILLION people have downloaded and registered to play this game.  This is EAs most recent free to download, free to play on-line game.  Want to join me?  Go to www.battlefieldheroes.com and download the game and enter into this on-line community.  You can create your own hero and be fighting within minutes.  Read the rest of this entry »

What man cave would be complete without a gaming system? I have tried just about every system out there, but when it comes down to my man cave there is only one, the Xbox360. It is pretty cool using the high definition Epson projector with the Xbox360. The high definition graphics look awesome even with a screen size of 120 inches. Playing games like Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty in high definition is simply amazing. Ive been absolutely hooked on Gears of War 2. I will have to admit; I am not as good as my son when it comes to Xbox LIVE, which is an on-line community for Xbox360 players. I log in through my network connection and get my butt kicked in 30 seconds, he logs in and kicks some butt. If I didnt know better, I would think he was up in his little man cave just waiting for me to log on. I often wonder if its some 8-year-old kid lighting me up on-line. I keep telling myself its a highly trained soldier. Its great to go down to the man cave and leave the stress behind while I am playing on my Xbox360. Read the rest of this entry »

Anytime I can have hot women on my computer and not get in trouble it is generally a good thing. When those women include Jenny McCarthy and Gemma Atkinson it is a great thing! Command & Conquer from Electronic Arts is back! One of EAs most popular franchise games has returned with Command & Conquer Red Alert 3. Red Alert 3 is now available for PC, Xbox360 and just recently PlayStation 3. I took it back old school and have been hooked on the PC version. Its been quite a while since I have been gaming on a PC, but its good to be back. Read the rest of this entry »