On Gear Live: 2024 Nissan Z Nismo Review

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PS4Usually around this time in a console’s lifespan we would already be knee deep in talks about the succeeding console, if not already playing it in our homes. However, with the constant updates and improved network capabilities the need for a new console every five years is no longer necessary. Though, Sony’s Kaz Hirai did mutter some words about the eventual Playstation 4 system, stating that a “digital future is over ten years away”, and the PS4 will definitely not be a download only console à la PSP Go. Hirai noted that this is because “we do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn’t as robust as one would hope, [and] there’s always going to be a requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium.”

Read More | Eurogamer

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I frequently ask myself the question, “what if Modern Warfare 2 was like Pokémon?”, and at last all quandaries have been put to rest courtesy of Blastedroof.com. The new gaming community has fused the two unlikely gaming franchises into what can only be described as utterly brilliant. Included in the seven minute video are some memorable internet personalities such as the British gamer who “played 7hrs straight”, the senior citizen bum from the bus fight video, a MW2 guru who makes video walkthroughs, and a nod to Infinity Ward’s own Robert Bowling. The video pokes fun at noobs, and different styles of play (rushing vs. camping) as well.


Halo Reach Bans

Though the temptation may be great to jump online early, perpetrators of downloading early copies of better think twice before firing up their illegally attained games online. Microsoft is no stranger to banning as many users as they see fit suspected of playing pirated copies of their games. A representative for Microsoft had this to say:

“We are aware that an unauthorized copy of “Halo: Reach” has leaked. We are aggressively investigating the matter. We have no further details to share at this time.”

Sounds like Microsoft is pretty pissed at the whole situation, and we all know what happens when Microsoft feels slighted. Last fall, gamers playing pirated copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 prompted Microsoft to ban up to a million players to get their message across. And that message is that pirating will not be tolerated.

“We are aggressively pursuing the violators. Microsoft’s commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the 25 million members of the Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority. All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and modifying their Xbox 360 console violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE.”

Read More | Kotaku

Wii Fit RehabIn an effort to change the negative stigma associated with rehabilitation, many universities are opting for a more playful approach in their physical therapy routines. To this end, the Fit is employed as a “frame of reference” for college athletes. The athletes replicate a series of yoga positions, repeating each stance twice, once with their eyes closed. The next test involves shifting their weight to get on-screen marbles to fall into their respective holes. These balance scores are recorded, and in the event an athlete is injured they will serve as “base scores” for an athlete to replicate before being deemed fully recovered.

The director of research at the Ohio State Sports Concussion Program, Tamerah Hunt, had this to say:

“The athletes love it because what we’ve done is we’ve incorporated this fun game that they’re playing at home into their rehab system. But they’re also enjoying it at a time when they’re injured or at a time when their spirits are down, and they have to come into the athletic training room every day and they have to get all this treatment ... and it’s kind of a reaction of, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ ”

And who ever said all video games did is hurt people?

Read More | The Washington Post

An ad for the version of Final Fantasy XIII has been removed from UK screens after being accused of using PS3 footage. Sqaure Enix admitted to the ruse, but added that the ad was made entirely from pre-rendered cut scenes that look no different from the Xbox 360 version. The PS3 version of FF13 does indeed look a bit sharper, but not enough to really be noticeable, especially when viewing it in standard definition broadcasted over the air. However, Square states that the ad, comprised of FMV cut scenes, “could have been captured on any device”. Though, apparently the UK doesn’t take too kindly to duping viewers with interchangeable video game footage, as the ad has since been banned from the air. See the ad and judge for yourself above.

Read More | Gamespot via Engadget


Halo Reach Leak

Keeping in tradition with Halo 3 and Halo 2 before it, the Halo series has managed to fall into unsavory pirate hands yet again with Halo: Reach. How did the leak occur, you ask? Directly from Microsoft’s own servers on Xbox Live. This is because Bungie provided authorized reviewers with the codes to download the game which is currently on display in the Xbox Live Marketplace. However, having Reach hiding in plain site wasn’t clever enough to keep the modders from getting their greedy little hands on Reach a full month early.

With Reach already floating around on some torrents out there and in the hard drives of a climbing number of peoples computers, you can expect details from the games story to begin surfacing online. Futhermore, I can safely predict that there will be another epidemic of eager gamers playing Reach online and subsequently being caught and banned from Xbox Live. Microsoft claims that they are “aggressively investigating” the leak, as I’m sure they are furious, but expecting, of the incident. While Halo has been plagued with early downloads, video games don’t suffer from the same stigma of illegal Internet downloads as music, and the sales don’t seem to decline any. Anticipate Halo: Reach to do big numbers on its release date regardless of the incident.


Xbox 360 S 250GB hard drive

If you’re like me and were really looking forward to purchasing the cheaper, less hard drive-y S for $200, then you may want to think twice. While the price tag is very attractive, purchasing one with a hard drive from the get go will cost you $30 less than buying the low end model and then upgrading to hard drive space later. Having a lot of hard drive space is essential for those looking to purchase many of their games and movies through games on demand and the Zune marketplace. Things can get messy quickly when you have to think out of the box to fit all your favorite downloads onto your memory impaired console. But if your’re content with only having 4GB of internal memory, and constantly switching out flash drives, then by all means don’t pass up the $200 console. The 250GB hard drive is currently on the Gamestop website, and is popping up in Gamestop stores around the country.

Read More | Gamestop

Street Fighter 3DS

According to the head guru in charge of Street Fighter, Yoshinori Ono, the 3DS version of Street Fighter will be a “perfect port” of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. This means that all of those modes and features you have come to love on your console version will be included on Nintendo’s handheld. In addition, the 3DS version will have a few new aspects to hold over console gamers’ heads. 

In order to attract a newer crowd to the Street Fighter arena Ono is utilizing the unique visuals and control scheme of the 3DS. Stereoscopic 3D has been applied to give fighting matches much more depth and attract gamers interested in trying out the new 3D phenomenon.

“When you put the 3D slider on max the game will be between looking into the (game world) and the characters jumping out at you, so you can distinguish the background and characters very clearly”, states Ono.

What’s more, new control schemes will enable younger players not familiar with Street Fighter to play the game in an all new way, while veteran Street Fighters will still be able to make use of their years of training using the classic control scheme.

“We are currently working hard on researching the possibility of having two control options,” says Ono. “One would be targeting people my age, entering 40, who played on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It will allow them to play it as they used to on the Super NES…By providing two different options we hope to reach a broader audience.”

Read More | Kotaku

250GB PS3

In order to make way for the new 160GB and 320GB PS3 units Sony has decided to phase out the other older SKU’s. This comes as no surprise really; why have so many different confusing price points for consumers? This phasing out will see stores attempting to push theses models onto us with pretty good deals, such as the $299 250GB model seen at Fry’s. The same price tag that the 160GB PS3 will sport when it’s released. So if you want to take advantage of these awesome fire sales then start searching around stores in your area.

Read More | Engadget


Doom was one of the original first person shooters to drive gamers wild, but it hasn’t held up well over the years. Specifically, the weapons became outdated as games like Halo and Modern Warfare changed the face of first person shooters forever. However, thanks to a recent mod, Doom now sports Modern Warfare 2 weapons, sound effects, and even the ability to quickly strike with your trusty combat knife. If you want to relive your Doom days, but can’t give up the guns of MW2, then download this mod.

Read More | Doom Modern Warfare mod

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