Computer Game and Console Reviews

Pros

Display panels clearly larger than original model; Overall size smaller; Several more screen brightness settings; Design exceptionally dazzling; Extended battery life; Colors brighter, more pronounced, and more noticeable; Weighs less; Buttons easier to press; Start button relocated to prevent accidental shutdown; Massive selection of colors; Affordable

Cons

May be too small for some hands; More likely to break than original model; Game Boy Advance game paks protrude from bottom by about a centimeter

Summary

Two years after mild success with the platform, Nintendo releases a stunning upgrade that improves the console in almost every way.

Introduction

The Nintendo DS was once considered a failure. The system had been out on the market for two years, lagging behind Sony’s PlayStation Portable in sales, and there was an obvious lack of quality games developed for it. Coupling these reasons with its unattractive, awkward design and low-quality display panels, it’s no wonder why the DS hadn’t take off like previous consoles. However, in 2006, Nintendo thrilled the world with the DS Lite, a redesigned model of the platform. The gorgeous new system, together with a few AAA games, launched the DS to a new success. The DS Lite continues to sell now more than ever, even three years after its initial release. Nintendo has reclaimed the throne yet again.

Features and Design

Gamers will first see the difference as soon as they open the box. When closed, the DS Lite is considerably smaller than the original. Furthermore, the top half no longer has that strange, curved shape to it; it has been replaced with a smooth, flat shell. In fact, the entire shape is very straight and rectangular, but with its smooth and rounded edges, fits into your hands comfortably.

However, one does not witness the true change until they open up the DS Lite. Both screens are a great deal bigger than last model’s, and the presentation is far better. The colors are all displayed much more smoothly and clearly, and the graphics grab your attention this time around and will appear crisp and striking. With four different brightness settings, the DS Lite can be used in all situations, indoors, and outdoors. The original DS’s poor backlight quality has been totally fixed, and then some.

Additionally, the buttons and switches on the bottom half have been moved and reorganized which makes everything much more convenient. Rather than the two rectangular Start and Select buttons above the A-B-X-Y group, they have been relocated to the bottom right and now take the shape of smaller circles. Perhaps the most appreciated change was the movement of the Power button. Originally located right above the directional-pad (which was the source of many accidental shutdowns), it is now seen on the right side of the system. Furthermore, one needs to slide the switch up, rather than pressing it, which completely erases this old problem. All buttons are noticeably easier to press down, and are very soft and enjoyable to touch. Revisions such as these are a blessing to gamers, and we should all thank Nintendo for their efforts.

A further evident modification is the extended battery life. The original DS’s 850 mAh battery would only allow the console to last for roughly ten to twelve hours, after a full four-hour charge. However, the DS Lite, on only a three-hour charge, can survive from fifteen to even nineteen hours of gameplay on its 1000 mAh battery. Hours such as these are simply astounding, and this is definitely one of the greatest changes to the DS.

Besides the substantial improvements, there are several minor ones. For instance, the volume switch protrudes from the system, making it easier to adjust the audio level. Another improvement is stylus. The stylus is now longer, and thicker than the original one, making it much easier to hold on to and use. Furthermore, it is held in the right side of the DS, as opposed to the top, which makes it incredibly effortless to remove and put away. Also, the mic has been repositioned to the direct center of the console, for natural usage.

In the midst of all the positives, there are of course a few negatives. While the DS Lite comes close to perfectness, one notices a few bothersome details; the largest of them being the protuberance of the Game Boy Advance game pak. When inserted into the bottom of the console, the top of the cartridge will stick out by about a centimeter, ruining the system’s smooth, sleek, rectangular shape. Though this may look unappealing, it does not affect gameplay whatsoever, and your hands will never touch the protruding portion. Another negative aspect is that for those of you who were used to holding the original DS will have a difficult transition to the DS Lite. Rather than supporting the entire DS with your palm and all your fingers, one only needs to use the very tips of the fingers to balance the device, due to its feathery weight. In the end, the DS Lite will be more comfortable to hold than the original, but the transition may take some time. The only other downside to the product is that it is less secure. The single hinge is much more likely to crack and break that the previous multiple-hinged DS. All of these negatives, however, really are not that significant, and should not sway you from purchasing this remarkable platform.

The DS Lite is exactly what an upgrade should be. It took everything wrong with the design of the original system and improved it tenfold. With improved visuals, lengthy battery life, glossy and sleek figure, bigger screens, and improved button interface, the DS Lite becomes one of Nintendo’s greatest consoles created. Everyone who owns an original or even thought about owning one should without a doubt purchase this upgrade. Everyone should understand the power and majesty that is the Nintendo DS Lite, the savior of the Nintendo handheld console.

Technical Specifications

Size (closed):

5.2″ (133 mm) wide / 2.9″ (21.5 mm) long / 0.85″ (73.9 mm) tall

Weight:

218 g / 7.69 oz

Upper Screen:

Backlit, 3-inch, transparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256×192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch

Touch Screen:

Backlit, 3-inch, transparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256×192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch with transparent analog touch screen

Brightness:

Four settings

Color:

Capable of displaying 260,000 colors

Memory:

RAM – 4 MB; VRAM – 656 KB

Wireless Communication:

IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo’s proprietary format; wireless range is 30 to 100 feet; multiple players can play multiplayer games using just one DS game card

Controls:

Touch screen, embedded microphone for voice recognition, A/B/X/Y face buttons, plus control pad, L/R shoulder buttons, Start and Select buttons

Input/Output:

Ports for both Nintendo DS game cards and Game Boy Advance Game Paks, terminals for stereo headphones and microphone

Other Features:

Embedded Pictochat software that allows up to 16 users to chat at once; embedded real-time clock; date, time and alarm; touch-screen calibration

CPUs:

Main CPU – ARM 9, 67 MHz; Secondary CPU – ARM 7, 33 MHz

Sound:

Stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, depending on the software

Battery:

Lithium ion battery delivering five to nineteen hours of play on a three-hour charge, depending on use; power-saving sleep mode; AC adapter

Languages:

English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian

Color:

Dozens of combinations of colors, and many limited edition colors

Ratings

Graphics 9/10
Audio 8/10
Variety of Games 10/10
Accessories 10/10
Price 10/10

Buy the Nintendo DS Lite From Amazon.com

Buy the Nintendo DS Lite From Amazon.co.uk

“Valve’s latest title delivers a tremendously enjoyable experience”

Format:

Xbox 360 / PC

Style:

First-person shooter; Survival horror

Modes:

Single player; 4-player cooperative multiplayer; 4-vs-4 multiplayer

Pros:

Zombie killing has become fun again; One of the best multiplayer experiences to date; Fantastic visuals and audio; Entertaining cast of four unique survivors; Many different multiplayer modes; Almost endless amount of replay value; Satisfying gameplay

Cons:

Rather short campaign; Lack of a plot; Poor weapon selection; Single player experience is not enough to satisfy anyone

Introduction:

Have you ever longed for the perfect zombie game? Many of us have, and Valve has done the best job thus far. Left 4 Dead is the latest IP from the well-respected developer/publisher, and it is one of the greatest multiplayer experiences to date. The company has made zombie-killing a truly fun and thrilling process again with this outstanding shooter.

Graphics/Audio:

Left 4 Dead doesn’t disappoint in the presentation value. With gorgeous scenery taking place all at night, one feels as if they really are in the game. In levels that have a larger emphasis on vegetation and foliage, the trees and other green plants look extremely life-like, even as you transition to an entirely different area, such as a factory. Left 4 Dead has so many environments that it is clear the developers spent time working on their graphics. If they had not done everything in their power, the game would look stretched and random. You often travel from one environment to a completely different one, which requires a great deal of graphical power and accent.

The four characters in the game are easy to distinguish, too. Valve picked four different designs that were easy to differentiate, which is greatly needed in a game such as this. With dozens of zombies rushing at you from all sides, it’s comforting to know where and who your teammates are. Although there are no cut-scenes in the game, the characters’ facial expressions and body movements are expertly performed. Just the fact that Valve spent the time to add in the minute details shows their extreme amounts of effort and care for the game. The weapons, additionally, look absolutely fantastic. I simply cannot stress the amount of detail in this game.

My only problem that I have with the graphics is when the survivors are in the safe room. Everything looks great; except for the writing on the wall. Yes, the humorous written notes and scratches on the wall provide the player with a little laughter in between levels, but they can be hard to see occasionally. And when you move closer to the wall to get a better glimpse, the words become even more pixilated and blurry, and it’s quite disappointing, due to the fact that sometimes I actually could not read some of the smaller-sized words and statements.

The voice acting in the game is what gives the characters life. Due to the absence of cut-scenes, all lines are spoken during combat. The voices for all four survivors are done completely perfectly, in a hilarious yet realistic manner. The script is absolutely brilliant, as the four characters’ lines and words all fit the situation nicely, and give the characters an unforgettable personality.

Story

The story in Left 4 Dead is by far the game’s weakest attribute. The opening cinema reveals that the game’s first campaign (there are four total) takes place approximately two weeks after the zombie outbreak. However, there is literally no explanation as to how or why everyone is turning into the undead, or how the survivors met each other, or, for that matter, how there are infinite piles of ammunition and weapons. Now, I realize that all this was done, for the most part, on purpose. The game’s focus is not at all on story or plot, but rather on gameplay. Although it really would have been great of Valve to do a little bit of explaining on their part.

Left 4 Dead’s four campaigns take place in completely different areas, and there is literally no transition between them. The survivors are rescued at the end of every campaign, only to find themselves in need of help once more, somewhere else. I understand this was intentional, but this just seems a little lazy on Valve’s part.

The actually story for all four campaigns consist of you getting your ass to each safe zone. Every campaign has five levels, with a safe house at the end of each level, excluding the fifth level in which you’re rescued. The four survivors must shoot and maul their way through hordes of zombies until they get to the end of their journey and are safe. It’s an incredibly weak plot, but it works for this type of game.

Gameplay

“Gameplay” is the most crucial part to any game. It’s what the developers set out to accomplish, and gameplay is what their end result was. It’s the controls, how you play the game, and all the features that are a part of it.

Left 4 Dead is, as you should know, a shooter. A first-person shooter, to be more precise. The objective of the game is to shoot your way through hundreds of zombies, and finding the right path to proceed down. You can accomplish this by using a total of six weapons. Unfortunately, the weapons used in the game are extremely generic guns with no outstanding features, and you will certainly be bored and disappointed by the selection. The game first offers you a shotgun, submachine gun, and a handgun. Yes, that really is it. The shotgun is great for blowing away bundles of zombies as they run towards you, or for picking up a quick straggler behind you. The submachine gun can be used for all situations and is an all-around strong gun. The handguns, you must know, have an unlimited amount of ammo. They never run out. In fact, if you ever find another one of them you can dual wield the pistols (also with unlimited ammunition). While this is quite convenient, it makes the game rather easy when you run out of ammunition for larger weapons, it does feel very cheap at some points in the game. There are also “upgraded” weapons that one will find towards the end of certain levels, or near the end of campaigns. These include the auto shotgun, assault rifle, and the hunting rifle. All three of these weapons are better than the previous two by tenfold. They take fewer shots to kill your enemies, reload faster, hold more ammo, and are perfect for fighting off the hordes. Most importantly, they are ridiculously fun to use and enjoyable to wield. Now, besides these weapons are the hand-tossed weapons. These include the pipe bomb, which draws zombies into it only to explode as they all pack in tight; and the Molotov cocktail, which will set the ground ablaze in a flame that deals heavy damage to enemies and teammates alike.

The game is available in four difficulties: Easy, Normal, Advanced, and Expert. As you travel from one difficulty to the next, you’ll notice a couple differences. First, the infected deal more and more damage to the survivors as the difficulty increases and the survivors will be more susceptible to friendly fire. It’s worth noting that across all four difficulty levels, the infected never have an increase in health.

As you receive more and more damage, your health bar will become less and less filled. As this happens, your character will become slower, and the display will even turn black and white. Additionally, the survivors will spew out the same few sayings multiple times, such as: “I ain’t gonna make it.” These become increasingly annoying as you struggle to find some health, but hopefully you will not be in this situation frequently.

To regain your lost health, one may use health packs or pills. Both items can be used to heal either yourself or your teammates. The health pack will give the recipient eighty health points, while the pills only temporarily boost your health. A couple minutes after using the bottle of pills, your health will be at the same level it was before they were used. When your health reaches zero, you will begin to bleed out. You have about a minute and a half (if no infected attack you) for your teammates to heal you until you permanently die. If one bleeds out more than three times they will go into spectator mode and watch the others play. They cannot rejoin until the other players reach the end of the level.

Besides the common infected, there are the “boss” infected, larger zombies. These are the Witch, Tank, Boomer, Hunter, and Smoker. The Witch will be found in dark areas in levels, and you will be notified of her presence by some eerie music that plays, and the Witch herself crying. If you startle a Witch (with your flashlight and shooting at/shooting near her) she will give out a scream, jump on top of you and start clawing away. Oh, and the infected horde will come. Try to avoid these at all times. The Tank is a massive zombie, teeming with muscles. This monster will charge at you fearlessly, and you’ll need a full arsenal and great teamwork to take him down. The Boomer is an outrageously fat infected. If you shoot it close enough it’ll vomit all over you, hazing your view for a minute. Also, when he explodes on you, the horde comes out. The Hunter is a dark, hooded infected that is extremely quick on its feet. It has the ability to leap from wall to wall, and can travel swiftly. If it manages to tackle you, the Hunter will claw at your face until a survivor kicks him off of you. Finally, the Smoker in a boss infected with a tongue that can reach to about fifty feet away. If it grabs you with it, the Hunter will start dragging you towards him, leaving you wide open. Teammates can help shoot the Hunter or the directly to set you free. All of the special infected require the help of all four teammates to be defeated.

Replayability

Left 4 Dead has four campaigns: No Mercy, Blood Harvest, Dead Air, and Death Toll. Each campaign has five levels to complete, and successfully finishing all four will take someone approximately four to six hours, depending on the difficulty and whom they are playing with. This may concern some gamers, due to the fact that this is a very short length, especially during modern times. Luckily, if you have online, this game can last you almost forever.

The game revolves around the multiplayer function. During the campaign, the team of four survivors (Zoey, Louis, Francis, and Bill) will always remain with you. You will always be able to find your teammates, too, due to the blue outline that surrounds them everywhere. The single player experience pales in comparison to the multiplayer’s. Playing with three AI bots simply doesn’t give you the thrill and excitement of playing with a full team. Additionally, campaigns are so quick and simple that it is easy and fulfilling to replay them many times.

Besides online multiplayer in the campaign, Valve offers the gamer even more options. Versus mode is an extremely addictive and fun multiplayer mode that pits four survivors against four boss-infected. Four players will take control of the four survivors from the campaign and battle their through a level, defeating common infected in the process. The other four players can take the form of a Hunter, Smoker, Tank, or Boomer. Playing as the infected brings an amazing twist to the gameplay, and is a truly awesome experience. All the four infected take a little bit of getting used to, but it’s nothing you won’t master quickly enough. Besides Versus, there is the free, downloadable Survival mode. This mode may remind some of Call of Duty: World at War’s Nazi Zombies feature. Up to four players can play. The survivors find themselves defending from an endless infected horde, and they will need to take cover wherever they can, and use a great deal of teamwork. This mode is a pleasing add-on that players will spend hours on. The online multiplayer will is an exceptionally entertaining function of the game, and I strongly recommend that everyone tries it out.

Final Recommendation

Left 4 Dead is the first game in what will surely be a hugely successful series. Having already sold almost three million units on the Xbox 360 alone, it is clear to how incredible the game really is. With fantastic visuals, stunning replay value, hilarious characters, and all-around addictiveness, this game earns its position as one of the greatest zombie games ever created, and one of the most enjoyable multiplayer games ever released. Left 4 Dead provides you with an amazing experience, one that I will certainly not forget any time soon.

Ratings

Graphics – 9/10

Audio – 9/10

Story – 7/10

Gameplay – 10/10

Replayability – 10/10

Final Score – 9/10

System Requirements

Supported OS:

Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / Vista64

Processor:

Pentium 4 3.0GHz, Dual Core 2.0, or AMD64X2 (or higher)

Memory:

1GB for XP / 2GB for Vista

Disc Drive:

DVD-ROM Drive

Graphics:

128 MB, Shader model 2.0, ATI 9600, NVidia 6600 or better

Hard Drive:

At least 7.5 GB of free space

Sound Card:

DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Pros

720p/1080i HD, outstanding online, great selection of exclusive titles, decent price.

Cons

Not Blu Ray compatible, cost of Live.

Xbox 360

Summary

Microsoft hit the 7th gen of consoles hard with the Xbox 360. Its improved Xbox Live and 720p/1080i compatibility makes it the best online system, and with a line of top-list games, it’s hard to beat.

Introduction

Microsoft’s Xbox was a hit among gamers, aiming more on the mature level of gaming rather than the competition’s focus on E – T rated games. The 360 pushed the competition further towards the mature audience, and improved its online capabilities far beyond that of Sony’s (you get what you pay for), a great start to the 5th generation of consoles.

Features and Design

The design of the 360 is a large improvement over the original, which seemed to anchor my house down in case of storms. Its sleeker, white design is nicer than the big black cinder block, and is much more practical for any entertainment center with its ability to go vertical and horizontal. Be careful not to exercise that ability during gameplay, it cost my buddy another copy of Call of Duty 4. Another part of it’s design is its interchangeable faceplate, which I think is pretty pointless, but if you really want a different color to look at, it’s a nice little feature.

Both wireless and wired controllers are usable for the system, which is quite a perk if you don’t feel like charging batteries or buying new ones quite so often. These controllers are great; the elimination of the white and black buttons was a good move, and the introduction of the left and right bumpers brings it right up to perfection. The only problem I experienced is hitting the home button on accident while in the middle of an intense match. Xbox Home is easily navigable and offers lots of great pages, including the Xbox Live Arcade, trailers and previews, Netflix, and the most recent feature that allows you to create your own avatar and view others’. It is certainly a little more user friendly than the Playstation 3’s home menu.

Microsoft’s big hit: Xbox Live. If (roughly) 5 dollars a month is all it takes for a gamer to get fantastic online experience, I think I’d buy two. The only problem with the price though, is the $99.99 Wireless N Networking Adapter. What a bunch of crap, Microsoft, throw us a bone here. Sony gives you a free one! Plus free online service! Well, with the total 5 dollar monthly fee plus the 100 dollar adaptor, you better expect some great service. And that’s exactly what you get. Easily navigable pages, friend lists and features, party chatting with your friends, game invites, messaging, game hopping, and dedicated servers. Xbox nailed it with their Live, and no console’s is comparable.

The Xbox 360’s hardware is great, even if it doesn’t quite compare with the PS3’s. The processing capability is top notch with 3 custom CPUs, each pushing 3.2GHz and a custom 500MHz, 10Mb ATI Graphics Card.

One mistake was the use of the DVD instead of the new Blu Ray, which could hold up to 50 GB of information on one disc! I’d pay to have that rather than all the downloadable content. Plus the Blu Ray is compatible with higher graphic settings.

But say, why get a 360 when I can get a revolutionary Wii, or a gorgeous Playstation 3? Because of two main reasons: Online and exclusive titles. The 360 surpasses both systems with it’s Live (especially Nintendo’s pathetic excuse for “online gameplay”). And the two competitors don’t come close to the 360’s titles, such as Gears of War and Halo. With the Wii’s fixation on (awful) party games, and the PS3 having a higher price, you can see why the 360 is a good pick.

Technical Specifications

CPU
Custom IBM PowerPC-Based CPU
3x 3.2 GHz cores
128x VMX-128 registers per hardware thread
3x VMX-128 vector units
6x hardware threads
1Mb L2 Cache

GPU
Custom ATI Graphics Processor
500 MHz
10 MB embedded DRAM
48-way parallel floating-point dynamically-scheduled shader pipelines Unified Shader Architecture
16 gigasamples per second fillrate using 4X MSAA
500 million triangles per second
48 billion shader operations per second

Sound
Multichannel surround sound output
Support 48 KHz 16-bit audio
32-bit audio processing
over 256 audio channels

Memory
512 MB GDDR3 RAM
700 MHz DDR
Unified memory architecture

System Bandwidth
22.4 GB/s memory interface bus bandwidth
256 GB/s memory bandwidth to EDRAM
21.6 GB/s front-side bus

System Floating Point Performance
1 TFLOP

Storage
20 GB hard drive (detachable and upgradeable)

I/O
Support for up to 4 wireless game controllers
2 memory unit slots
3 USB 2.0 ports

Online
Ethernet Port
Wi-Fi Ready: 802.11 A, B and G
Video Camera Ready

AV Output
All games at 16:9, 720p and 1080i and anti-aliasing
Standard definition and high def video output supported

Disc Media
Support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD
Stream media from portable music devices, digital cameras, Windows XP PCs
Rip music to Xbox 360
Custom playlists in every game
Windows Media Center Extender
Interactive, full 3D visualizers

Ratings

Graphics 9/10
Audio 10/10
Variety of Games 10/10
Accessories 9/10
Price 9/10

Buy the Xbox 360 from Amazon.com

Buy the Xbox 360 from Amazon.co.uk