Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
E3 2009: EA Active Impressions
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Casual, E3, Electronic Arts, Reviews, Sports, Wii,
I want to workout without going to the gym – much like the millions of people that have purchased Wiifit. However, I’m not a huge fan of the game. Having to stop every time after a small workout was very time consuming and lead me not to want to “play”. EA Sports Active does not only look like a lot of fun but it also gives you a real workout feeling. Giving you the option to customize your routines and what parts of the body you want to work out, it gives you the variety you need to keep going. It also offers levels from easy to hard so everyone one can accomplish the routine they set out to do.
For those looking for more motivation, they can opt to the 30-day challenge. It’ll keep track of your workouts, nutrition, give you the historic graphs of your progress and will give you tips for relieving stress, eating healthier, and motivation to keep your challenge going.
EA Active is a gym, personal trainer and nutritionist all in one game-like experience. Tons of workout modes, exercises and abilities to customize your sessions, your workouts are sure to never get repetitive and keep you going. It’s a great substitution for anyone that feels WiiFit does not give them a real workout experience.
Advertisement
E3 2009: All Points Bulletin (APB) hands-on impressions
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Action, E3, Electronic Arts, PC, Reviews, Third Person Shooters,
All Points Bulletin (APB) is a third-person action game from the creators of Crackdown, Real Time Worlds. “Focusing on ‘the three C’s’—creativity, conflict and celebrity” APB gives the player freedom to create anything they want.
Creating your own characters and cars are things we have done before in games like Oblivion and Forza, but APB pushes this feature like never before. When in character creation, standard options like gender, skin tone and other physical features are available for customization. But APB goes a little bit deeper and allows you to pick a hairstyle and how long it needs to be or even pick breast cup-sizes for the girls. Tattoos? They got those too. Design your tattoo art, color and size to place anywhere you want it to be.
Click to continue reading E3 2009: All Points Bulletin (APB) hands-on impressions
Check out EA SPORTS Active on Ellen DeGeneres show
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Sports, Wii,
In a push to get people off their butts, EA SPORTS has created a 30 Day Challange where participants are to use EA Active, a workout game for Wiie. TV actress and host Alison Sweeney, one of the EA SPORTS Active 30 Day Challenge participants, will be on the Ellen DeGeneres show today, Monday 11th, taking Ellen through a workout and giving every audience member a copy of the game. If Ellen has not used a Wii before, this is sure to be an interesting thing to watch. Want to get active? EA SPORTS Active for the Wii will be available in stores on May 19th.
Read More 
| EA SPORTS Active
Latest Gear Live Videos
Exclusive Interview: Tom French, The Saboteur Lead Designer
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Action, Adventure, Electronic Arts, Features, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,
It’s no secret that I am a big supporter of Pandemic Studios’ The Saboteur. Earlier this year, I was exposed to the game in its early development stage and even then—It looked extremely promising. The Saboteur is the story of a car racer in Nazi-occupied Paris looking for revenge. Now, I know what you are thinking, “Not another World War II game!” However, The Saboteur offers you an intimate experience with the characters, while World War II is only the backdrop of the story. In previous interviews, I have been able to get a little more background information of the game, if only to get a glimpse of what this world looks like. Recently, I was able to sit and chat with the Lead Designer of The Saboteur, Tom French, and find out some more background information of the game and what it has to offer us.
Tom, tell us a bit about your background.
My first game at Pandemic was Mercenaries, which was my first job as a designer. I have been in the videogame industry for about 12 years and most of my history was at Blackout Studios. I worked a little bit on Fallout, and a lot on Fallout 2, and I worked on some prototype that got canceled before they shut down.
Click to continue reading Exclusive Interview: Tom French, The Saboteur Lead Designer
inFAMOUS Preview, impressions, and screenshots
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Action, Adventure, Electronic Arts, Features, PlayStation 3, Reviews,
Sucker Punch invited us to step in the world of their new game inFAMOUS—and that we did. In the ever so trendy Capital Hill, we entered a venue full of TVs with playable demos, food and drinks. For a couple of minutes I was captivated by the concept art displayed on the walls, but then was reminded that there was work to be done. After some chatter, it was time to introduce the main attraction.
So what is inFAMOUS? inFAMOUS is an exclusive title for the PLAYSTATION 3 due out May 26th. The game follows Cole McGrath, a man affected by the massive explosion that left Empire City in complete devastation. Cole not only survived the catastrophe, but now has developed electricity-based powers that allow him to use electricity to his advantage. He can suck up energy from street lights or vehicles and even shoot bolts of lighting from his hands. How he uses that power, however, is up to you. But with great power, comes great responsibility. All of the actions your character takes have an impact on Empire City. You can either help restore the city or keep it in a state of chaos. Helping innocent people will increase your good karma, where as killing them or using their energy for power will increase your evil karma.
Click to continue reading inFAMOUS Preview, impressions, and screenshots
Gallery:
Latest screenshots of The Saboteur
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Action, Adventure, Electronic Arts, Features, PlayStation 3, Screenshots, Xbox 360,
Pandemic Studios gave us a look at The Saboteur, their upcoming action title that paints us the picture of a Nazi-occupied Paris through the eyes of race car driver, Sean Devlin. As our leading Irish man starts off on a mission to get revenge, you will be able to explore the city of Paris in all its open-world goodness and get the job done. Want fighting, climbing to roof tops, derailing trains or an arsenal of weapons? The Saboteur has that – and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Saboteur runs on the Odin engine, which was built specifically for the game from the ground up and dying to show you what it can do. These screenshots are only a sample of some of the great graphics and art styles this game will deliver, check them out in The Saboteur screenshot gallery.
Read More | The Saboteur screenshot gallery
Gallery:
Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing Coming to Rock Band
Posted by Alex Lifschitz Categories: Downloadable Content, Electronic Arts, Music, Rumors,
So here’s the drink list from the event Harmonix threw the other day at the Rockit Room in San Fran. Nice, eh? I didn’t get the opportunity to indulge, but one fellow told me that the overdrive will “take you to flavor country” before gliding away on roller skates.
Oh, and at the end of the night, they announced and played a song called “Don’t Stop Believing” or something by some flash in the pan band named Journey, claiming that it would be hitting Rock Band. Should be available next Tuesday, but the date is subject to change and the pricing has not yet been announced, if you care about that kind of stuff.
(It’s very hard for me to break sarcasm, but I’ve always held the position that the first music and rhythm game to get this song wins the war. Good job, HMX! You’ve doomed me to more DLC as my children starve. Or, at least, they’re LIKE my children. But they’re older, and female. And hookers.)
STREEEETLIGHT PEEOPLLLEEEEEE
John McEnroe Stars in EA Grand Slam
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Electronic Arts, Sports, Wii,
One of most outspoken tennis players of all times will be featured in EA Sport’s Grand Slam. John McEnroe will star in the game designed for Wii and it is an obvious choice as the athlete won seven Grand Slams, including three at Wimbledon. This will be one of the first games to feature Wii MotionPlus with enhanced depth and precise ball placement. Expect Grand Slam to be released June 16 for $49.99.
Read More | EA Sports
The Beatles: Rock Band Announced
Posted by Alex Lifschitz Categories: Electronic Arts, Music, Party Games, Release Dates,
Well, ever since the folks at Harmonix got their hands on the Beatles catalogue, we all (and by that, I mean ‘I’) figured that this day was coming. Sure enough, Apple, MTV, and Harmonix have announced The Beatles: Rock Band for release on 9/9/09, and a website has been put up with nothing but an interior shot of (what I believe is) Abbey Road Studios (main recording studio for the Fab Four) and a ‘9.9.09’ plastered across the screen. The game will feature content by the Beatles (duh) and will be bundled with signature instrument replicas if you order the full shebang, and if that means I get to rock a little plastic Hofner, I’ll be there on day one. When reached for comment, Paul and Ringo both chased me off their property with vicious dogs. I tried to reach the other Beatles, but I unfortunately lent my shovel to the neighbors.
Hit the jump for the full press release.
Click to continue reading The Beatles: Rock Band Announced
Forbes Magazine calls Rock Band “Shameless Knockoff” of Guitar Hero, Alex Rigopulos’ Head Asplodes
Posted by Alex Lifschitz Categories: Activision, Corporate News, Culture, Electronic Arts, Music,
Hay fanboys, listen up! And before you read anything, the following was from FORBES, not Bobby Kotick, for the sake of Rock Band/Guitar Hero wars everywhere.
In a recent profile of Activision CEO and industry provocateur Bobby Kotick, Forbes decided to talk about a number of Activision bread and butter franchises, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (whose empty, frail husk now litters that halls of Activision, milked clean of its sweet, sweet nectar). Somewhere around the end, though, is an interesting little snippet of text:
“EA also teamed with MTV to sell Rock Band, a shameless knockoff of Guitar Hero that added drums, bass and a microphone to the world of make-believe rock stars. EA says it is returning to an “auteur model” of designing games, taking bigger chances on fewer ideas.”
Look, we should all see this kind of writing for what it really is: Unresearched and inflammatory. Even if you didn’t know that the Rock Band guys are the guys who made Guitar Hero in the first place, it’s a wee bit unprofessional to take sides. I’ve worked for Activision, and they’ve said some crazy things regarding the music game timeline, but don’t confuse the quote as coming from Kotick.
Funny how they don’t mention Guitar Hero: World Tour anywhere.
Read More | Forbes
Advertisement
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.