Latest Gear Live Videos
Games With Online Multiplayer Sell More
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Corporate News, Downloadable Content, Internet, Microsoft, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Sony, Wii, Xbox 360,
A research paper from Electronic Entertainment Design and Research has been released that suggests that games with online support can be crucial to a game’s retail success. Not surprisingly, another way to boost sales is to create a quality game (defined as those with a 90+ score on Metacritic), with these well-reviewed titles outselling the average release well above 5-to-1.
While making good games typically means making good money, naturally, it is a bit surprising to see the report indicate that sales can be doubled by dropping in an online mode. With online games selling twice the number copies that offline titles do, it’s curious to note that over half of games released don’t offer even basic online support.
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Read More 
| Ars Technica
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HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me: In Love With Controversy?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Drama, HBO, Gossip,
With HBO’s gritty new drama, Tell Me You Love Me, the dramatic message is supposed to be about feeling. But the new series is telling me something different – HBO isn’t trying to create good drama…it’s a cable network trying to create good hype. In this business, hype is generally all you need. The series is scheduled to premiere Sunday at 9 pm ET, and early reports expound on the graphic sex scenes that strongly pepper the first episode. The show is really about relationships (isn’t everything) and relies on character interaction of all sorts – not just sexual action. Viewers will delve deeply into the lives of 20-something chef Jamie (played by Michelle Borth), who is engaged to Hugo (a very likely-sounding name attached to the character portrayed by Luke Kirby). Carolyn, a lawyer in his mid-30s that’s played by Sonya Walger, and her real-estate investor husband Palek (Adam Scott) will struggle with keeping their marriage alive as they (unsuccessfully) continue to attempt pregnancy. Ally Walker plays 40-something stay-at-home mom Katie, who no longer has sex with her husband Dave (Tim DeKay). These relationships revolve around the offices of Dr. May Foster (Jane Alexander), a couples therapist in her 60s who still enjoys great sex. (Here’s hoping HBO doesn’t get too showy with those scenes, right?) Despite the sort of boring plot (a therapist’s office…how original for HBO) and obvious attempt to target several demographics at once, some critics are lavishing early praise on the ambitious HBO drama.
Read More | CNN
Bleeding Edge TV 182: iPhone Reviewed by Average Consumer (My Wife)
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Apple, Cell Phones, Features, Portable Audio / Video, Product Reviews,
So, let’s cut to the chase - the reason that Apple slashed the price of the iPhone by 33% at the September 5 Apple Event was because Steve Jobs and company felt that was the best way to bring the device to the mainstream phone buyer. Everyone I know who owns an iPhone is someone who is an early adopter of consumer electronics. People who buy Apple products the moment they are available, people who refresh their RSS readers a few times an hour (or more), and people who scour sites like Gear Live for news multiple times a day. The only person I knew who owned an iPhone who didn’t fit the mold was my wife, Monica. I figured I would have her review the iPhone from her perspective - that being someone who couldn’t care less about technology, gadgets, the Internet, or anything that involves something that has to be charged or plugged in to a wall. This, dear friends, is a review of the iPhone from someone who is completely satisfied with the free crappy phone you get when you sign up for any standard cell phone plan.
Do note that the video was recorded prior to the iPhone price drop, so keep that in mind.
DVD REVIEW: God Grew Tired Of Us
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Documentary, DVD Reviews,
Every once in a while you are fortunate enough to watch a movie that really shakes you to your core. Afterwards, you feel compelled to grab any and everyone you see to tell them about it. I had that experience just last week—and since then, my friends have had to bear the brunt of my enthusiasm.
Earlier this year, I caught a Nightline piece about the film, God Grew Tired of Us. This documentary about the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ was having it’s Los Angeles premiere. But the road to completion required a lot of celebrity assistance along the way. Actor Dermot Mulroney sought Brad Pitt‘s help when his director friend (Christopher Quinn) was running low on funds. Pitt provided financial assistance and took on an executive producer role. Nicole Kidman also contributed as narrator after being asked by actress Catherine Keener.
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Read More | Nightline
Is BioShock a Perfect Game?
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Features, First Person Shooters, PC, Reviews, Xbox 360,
The reviews have been coming in for a week now, and they have been phenomenal. Consider that according to GameRankings.com, BioShock is the 4th best game of all time. On Metacritic, BioShock has received more perfect 100 scores than even The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, usually the game cited as the best of all time. Clearly, 2K‘s Mature-rated, failed utopia FPS is a critical smash hit.
Perhaps then there is little need for another glowing review of the game. Except this is not a glowing review in the strictest sense, because BioShock is not exactly the masterpiece of perfection indicated by these scores. Instead, BioShock is a wonderful game that happens to draw to light the inadequacies of the way games are typically reviewed and the inherent inconsistencies of how games are judged.
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A Thumbless Ebert & Roeper?
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Syndication,
For nearly 30 years, Roger Ebert has been sealing his movie reviews with a signature Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down. Unfortunately, potentially-heated contract negotiations between Ebert and his distribution company have forced (temporary?) changes to the Ebert & Roeper program. Now both sides are pointing fingers at those allegedly responsible for pulling the digits.
Viewers of the most recent episode may have noticed a slight change in the program. No thumbs! Richard Roeper and his guest co-host made their opinions on such movies as The Nanny Diaries and Resurrecting the Champ as clear as possible without a ‘pointed’ summary. (For the record—they disliked
bothfilms).
Disney-ABC Domestic Television claims the renowned critic put the copyrighted move on hold during negotiations (Ebert and the estate of the late Gene Siskel hold the rights to the critiquing method). But through a statement posted on his website, Roger denies making that request. In addition, he says that Disney (as of 8/24) had not gotten back to him after what he feels was an ‘offensively low’ offer.
As most you already know, health problems have kept Roger Ebert from fronting an episode of the show for over a year. But he has been contributing in other ways and still posts through his own site. I just pray that the distribution company isn’t trying to take advantage of his current status during their contract talks. But then again—they wouldn’t do something like that, would they??
Read More | RogerEbert.com
DVD REVIEW: Red Dawn: Collector’s Edition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Drama, DVD Reviews,
Vanessa Williams giving up her Miss America Crown….the Summer Olympics in LA….The Cars stealing MTV’s Best Video Award from Michael Jackson….and Tommy Howell drinking deer blood on Red Dawn. These were things I distinctly remember from 1984.
I can’t even tell you how many times I watched Red Dawn around that time….nor do I really remember why. Could it have been because my best friend loved Darren Dalton? Was it because I was fascinated seeing Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders (Howell) turn into a cold-hearted Wolverine? Was it the newly introduced PG-13 rating? Maybe it was because young women (Jennifer Grey, Lea Thompson) got to help take down the Russians? (This was the era of the Cold War after all). So when I heard that they were coming out with a collector’s edition of Red Dawn, I was all over it.
For those who can’t remember the 23-year-old film, here’s a quick refresher: The movie begins with Soviet paratroopers landing behind a high school. They immediately start shooting at the students gawking through their classroom window. It seems the Soviets and Cubans have invaded the US and have basically started WWIII. A group of teens drives into the woods with the weapons they have stockpiled. Although they struggle being away from their families, they eventually create their own insurgency and do their best to wreak havoc on the foreign troops.
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FilmCrunch 062: Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, The Good German
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Period, Romance, Sequels, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, and the DVD release of The Good German. Plus, Neil goes into detail of his celebrity run-in while working at a high-end Seattle restaurant.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
DVD Review: Zodiac
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Paramount, Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thrillers, New Releases, DVD Reviews,
David Fincher’s slow, introspective thriller was released on DVD last week.
In the late 1960s, the San Francisco Chronicle receives one of the first letters from the Zodiac killer, a partial cipher detailing the gruesome deaths of his first victims and his intention to kill again. What begins as a unique gimmick attached to senseless murder becomes a calculated plan to confuse and manipulate San Francisco police and news media, leaving the city in a state of panic. Robert Graysmith, a young cartoonist for the Chronicle, grows obsessed with the Zodiac and, with the help of some local detectives, sets out to uncover the truth behind his identity.
Please read FilmCrunch’s full Zodiac review.
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DVD Review: The Number 23
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: New Line, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases, DVD Reviews,
The slickly-directed and highly-stylized Joel Schumacher film about an ordinary man’s infatuation with an extraordinary number was released on DVD this week. Starring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen, The Number 23 delves deep into the psyche of Walter Sparrow, a man all too ordinary, and a small red book that enters his life. The thin, disheveled paperback tells the story of Fingerling, a detective whose encounter with the eponymous number grows into an obsession beyond the bounds of logic — an obsession that begins to take hold of Sparrow himself.
Although the film looks beautiful in every way, and the performances hold up enough to keep one intrigued, The Number 23 attempts to invoke malevolence from mathematical coincidence and superstition, and neither become anything more for it’s audience.
Please check out FilmCrunch’s full video review and textual review.
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