14 Mar, 2008
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a new fantasy RPG from Square Enix. It’s a prequel to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the Nintendo GameCube, taking place a millennium prior to that game. In most FF titles, I’d start talking about how great the story was or how immersing the game is, but in this one I was immediately sucked in by the graphics. It’s a DS title that looks as good as many PSP titles, and that should give you an idea of how nice everything looks. There’s dynamic lighting effects, and though the characters aren’t exactly life-like, they are beautiful in their own stylized sort of way. Magic particularly looks as good as on the typically better-looking handheld. Most of the action happens on the top screen. The bottom screen is often just a means of getting to menus and skipping cut-scenes. You control the game by a combination of stylus and buttons. I have complained about this dynamic in other reviews, and it’s still the case in this one. I would not say the game controls poorly, just that your hands can quickly become cramped and uncomfortable. Like most FF titles, the game does get somewhat text-heavy at times, but it is worth it if you care about the characters. And you should. The fraternal twin main characters are so well fleshed out that you can see the love they share, even in the text. The score that accompanies this title is excellent. It’s another area in which the DS’s capabilities were likely stretched to the limit. You’ll spend most of your quests beating the baddies up, then collecting the loot they drop, and doing it more. This works pretty well in most cases, where you’ll use the characters together to take out even some pretty tough bosses. And there’s a decent amount of gameplay there, considering it’s a handheld; it’s more than 10 hours long. But it doesn’t always work. There are many times when it would be extremely nice to have friends who also owned this title. So, I’d say it might be a good time in multi-player, because you could actually make it through with a lot less hassle. In single player, though, it gets a little rough. Additionally, though most people will find the characters cute and their dialog varied and interesting, the game’s tone is much more kid-friendly than I would have liked. There are some dark themes, but they are not as consuming as they might otherwise be. Still, it’s not quite a Final Fantasy Fables title, and even if it were, adults could still find some enjoyable gameplay there. All told, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a beautifully rendered, family friendly title that lives up to its name. It’s not quite as epic as I would have liked, and sometimes combat can frustrating if you are going solo, but it’s still an above average game. I’d suggest setting aside a time to rent it with a couple friends so you can try out the multi-player, and only buy it straight up if you are a die-hard FF fan. Tags: home theater, plasma, electronic toys, hdtv (Read the full post about ‘Review: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for DS’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
Posted Mar 14th 2008 10:38AM by Paul MillerFiled under: Misc. gadgets These chips won’t be blazing through Crysis any time soon, but there’s certainly room in the world for mechanical nanocomputers, and thanks to DARPA we might seem them in the real world sooner rather than later. The chips harken back Babbage’s 13 ton difference engine, but with a whole lot more nano. They’re also more robust, generate less heat and consume less power than their solid-state counterparts. (Read the full post about ‘DARPA hard at work on nanomechanical chips’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
Dear mobile developers, I know you are really excited about the iPhone SDK. It is a lot of fun and the idea of bringing home 70% of your labor is appealing. But don’t forget about Android. Please. Android is going to be huge, huge I tell you. We’ll be doing so many fun things with Android phones you won’t believe it. Advanced functions like cut&paste or MMS. It is going to be huge. Please think about us, cause we think about you, like every day. Sometimes we’ll pick up flowers and ask it if you love us. Sometimes the answer is no. (Read the full post about ‘Google: Android will run circles around iPhone’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
Another variant of the Nanobook or Cloudbook has popped up. This time its set to hit the stores in Indonesia and has been dubbed the Zyrex Ubud, but in a nice twist it will not be running a modified version of Linux, instead they opted for Windows. Which version is still not clear as Cloudbook UMPC is reporting that it will be running Windows Vista Starter Edition, however the website for the Ubud is listing the OS as Windows XP, possibly consumers will be given a choice. Other than the difference in the OS, the Zyrex Ubud features a 7-inch 800 x 480 display, 1.2 GHz VIA C7-M processor, 1GB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Bluetooth ready, two USB ports, one DVI port, a 4-in-1 card reader, ethernet and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g. (Read the full post about ‘The Indonesian Cloudbook, otherwise known as the Zyrex Ubud’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
Posted Mar 14th 2008 12:41PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment Every so often, a projector hits the market that’s just so delectable, it’s hard to stop fantasizing about what pieces of your kids’ rooms could be auctioned off in order to procure it. Enter the $14,995 Meridian MF10, which is most certainly one those units. Packin’ a totally familiar black chassis, three 0.7-inch 1080p D-ILA chips, a native 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 700 lumens, and a 2x zoom lens (2:35:1 Cinemascope is optional), this PJ exudes confidence. You’ll also find a pair of HDMI 1.3 ports along with component, S-Video and composite (saywha?), an RS-232 control terminal and the ability to play nice with the firm’s $3,995 DVP2351 digital video processor (shown after the jump). (Read the full post about ‘Meridian announces MF10 1080p D-ILA projector at EHX’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
M-Audio’s ProKeys Sono 61 and ProKeys Sono 88 are more than mere MIDI controllers: they are actual keyboards, that may be played without being attached to a computer. I know, take a seat and grab a brandy. Proper musicians will scoff at such a perspective, but when I read the specs for these semi-weighted standalones, I thought I’d be paying for something I’d never use: 5 (Sono 61) or 7 (Sono 88) high quality instruments and a 128-sound general MIDI set, drums, percussion, line-in and microphone inputs, and a sequencer. It’s like they want to encourage musicians to perform instead of tinker around in Reason, or something. OK, enough snark. (Read the full post about ‘M-Audio Has New Name For its Ivories’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
LLC’s Vana VA6420-Si Advanced Extender device will soon boast Blu-ray movie playback capability, allowing the owner and family to enjoy movies in full 1080p resolution via DVI and HDMI interfaces. LLC used to offer both hd dvd and Blu-ray playback, but since the format war’s dust has settled, they are now more confident of pushing Blu-ray players forward to the consumers - the only stumbling block would still be the price as well as relative contentment among home movie buffs that current upscaled DVDs are able to do their job just fine. Tags: computers, gprs, Ogg Vorbis, gadgets (Read the full post about ‘Vana VA6420-Si Advanced Extender Gets Blu-ray’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
Asus has launched its newest 24-inch lcd monitor. The Asus MK241H boasts native HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) support for full HD 1080p video playback. It is equipped with a 1920×1200 16:10 high resolution panel that delivers multi-channel audio and uncompressed digital video. Translating these into layman’s terms, the Asus MK241H would give gamers and multimedia users the ultimate gaming and multimedia experience. Asus has even upped the ante of the MK241H by integrating a plug-and-play built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam for high-resolution video and array microphones for the much needed push towards optimum video and audio pleasure. (Read the full post about ‘Asus unveils 24-inch LCD monitor with built-in webcam’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
When traveling on the road, the last thing you want to do is toss a bunch of gadgets and accessories into your laptop bag. The more you have in there, the more bothersome it is to sort through it all and get out what you need. One gadget that you almost always want to have is a mouse, but unfortunately those can take up a bit of room, unless of course you store it inside your laptop. While this MoGo Mouse BT isn’t going to be the most comfortable mouse to use for long periods of time, it will no doubt be better than using your trackpad. What makes this mouse really worthwhile is the fact that it slips into the PC Card slot of your laptop where it hides (and recharges) when you’re not using it. (Read the full post about ‘MoGo Mouse is a tiny and cheap alternative to using your trackpad’…)
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14 Mar, 2008
Every once in a while, a clock comes out that is so cool, you can’t help but wonder why you haven’t see it before. This is certainly the case with the D/A clock. I’m not certain what the D/A stands for, but it has one of the most unique, yet obvious, looks for a clock. I’m not certain whether you can see this from the photo, but this clock has special sections that physically rise up to show the digital time. This clock is made of wood as well as Dupont Corian, which is used on countertops. The clock is the product of designer Alvin Aronson, who is a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, and he is destined to be at the top of his class. If Mr. (Read the full post about ‘D/A Clock: Time for Coolness’…)
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