Sting announced as WWE 2K15 pre order bonus

Chris Hare
-
0
Sting announced as WWE 2K15 pre order bonus

2K today has announced the long-awaited debut of Sting in WWE 2K15, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Sting will be available for those who pre-order the game at any participating retailer for Xbox One, and Xbox 360, as well as the PlayStation4 and PlayStation 3.

One of the most popular and revered competitors in WCW history, Sting will be featured in WWE 2K15 through two unique playable characters: the mysterious, ghost-like persona with trademark black and white face paint who was the face of WCW during the “Monday Night War” era, as well as his earlier look, sporting bright  colours and a blond, flattop hairstyle. In celebration, a unique promotional trailer highlighting Sting’s WWE 2K15 inclusion.

“The only thing for sure about Sting is nothing’s for sure, except my debut in WWE 2K15,” said Sting. “I’m honoured to have my legacy immortalized in a video game. It’s showtime!”

Making his WCW debut in 1991, Sting generated worldwide recognition for his unique presence and in-ring prowess. Across more than a decade, he amassed eight WCW championships and competed against many notable rivals, including “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, the New World Order (nWo), Vader, Rick Rude, The Four Horsemen and Ric Flair.

wwe sting

“We’re eager to introduce fans to Sting in a compelling new way, while debuting the next-generation of gaming in the WWE 2K franchise,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “Pre-ordering WWE 2K15 is the ultimate way to embrace the history and individuality of Sting’s impressive career.”

Developed collaboratively by Yukes and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K15 is currently scheduled for release on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3 on 28th October in North America and 31st October  internationally.

Battlefield 4 Dragon’s Teeth DLC is Out Now

Chris Hare
-
0
Battlefield 4 Dragon’s Teeth DLC is Out Now

With the launch of Battlefield 4 Dragon‘s Teeth DLC, with the action in major Asian cities, are you ready to join the urban combat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDTD1awozXM

Battlefield 4  Dragon‘s Teeth leads you into street fighting in major Asian cities on four new multiplayer maps. Wreak havoc in a floating restaurant or drain the lake to open the passage to an assault vehicle, while the battle rages between the skyscrapers Dragon submerged. Fight among the towering monuments of despots in the grey concrete Propaganda. Make war on the busy streets and rooftops of Market beads. Browse the channels of a beautiful park aboard PWC fast to take advantage in the terrible Infantry Lumphini Park battle. Battlefield 4 Dragon‘s Teeth also includes five new weapons, ballistic shield, RAWR (unmanned ground vehicle), ten missions and new game mode chain links, you must create connections between capture points to win the battle.

FEATURES

4 new multiplayer maps take place in Asian cities
– Lumphini Park
– Market beads
– Propaganda
– Dragon submerged

5 new weapons in Battlefield 4
Unlock the ballistic shield, a new gadget that stops bullets
A new element of combat: the RAWR, a heavily armed unmanned ground vehicle

Connect capture points to win the battle in the new game mode connections chain

10 new missions with unlockable items

Assassins Creed – Unity Trailer and more

Chris Hare
-
0
Assassins Creed – Unity Trailer and more

To celebrate Bastille Day, Ubisoft have released a new single-player gameplay trailer for Assassin’s Creed Unity and more.

Also a history-focused Q&A answered by Mazime Durand, Production Coordinator on Assassin’s Creed Unity was released today.

maxime durand

Graduated in History from Université de Montréal in 2010, Maxime Durand has been counseling and coordinating at Ubisoft on every Assassin’s Creed game from close or afar since Revelations. His expertise supports the whole game process; from overall narrative arches, to gameplay animation or precise architecture details.

  • Assassin’s Creed has featured many historic settings to date. Why did you decide on revolutionary Paris this time? Why is the French Revolution an important period in history?

One could argue that the French Revolution is the birth of the modern world. It is during that time that the charter of rights was drafted; a document that, to this day, is the basis of the UN. It is also the turning point that began shifting western power from the traditional aristocracy to a new merchant class, the bourgeoisie. All of this happened in one of the most brutal and chaotic series of events in the history of Europe. In essence, the period beckoned an Assassin’s Creed game. We’ve taken special care to handle this complex period with great care to make the game accessible to a broad audience.

The French Revolution is a pivotal moment in history as it marked the beginning of a global movement… It inspired modern revolutionaries who patterned their own revolutions on the French model. But the principles of the Revolution – Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité – also laid the foundation of the political liberalism that we take for granted today. It was far more than a simple rebellion against an unpopular King; it was a total rejection of repressive feudal principles that had endured for centuries. The French Revolution gave the middle finger (and the guillotine) to anyone who supported the old social order of Europe. The French Revolution was a time of firsts. It included the first-ever assault on the entire concept of organized religion. The first genuinely “Communist” uprising (which was put down by other revolutionaries.) The first time women had ever wielded revolutionary power. The first modern police state, with show trials, informants, and public executions. On the brighter side, it included the first clear enunciation of modern liberal principles that we in the West take for granted. For all our focus on the American Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man predated the American document by a year.

ACU_Artwork_Bastille_HR

Before the French Revolution, people remained who they were born to be for the rest of their lives. Nobles remained nobles and commoners remained commoners. Nothing could alter the course of one’s destiny. Thanks to the results of the revolution, people could become whoever they wanted to become. Napoléon was the most vivid proof of that new way of thinking. Napoléon was Corsican; he had a hard time speaking French when he was young. He spoke it with a heavy accent during his early adulthood. It is truly fascinating to see that this short Corsican man managed to gradually work his way up in the army hierarchy to later become emperor, not only of France, but of a large section of Europe. Without the French Revolution, this could never have happened. The best way to sum it up is to say: “anybody could achieve anything”.

  • What can you tell us about the Storming of the Bastille, that happened on the 14th of July 1789, and which since became a public holiday in France?

ACU_Screenshot_LuxembourgRiot2

The Bastille was a medieval fortress-turned-prison in the heart of Paris, consisting of eight 24-metre-high towers and the thick walls enclosing them. The Storming of the Bastille occurred on the morning of 14 July 1789, as Revolutionary mobs, incensed at the symbol of Royal oppression, laid siege to the fortress. Despite its reputation as a grim and terrible prison, at the time of the attack the Bastille actually held only seven prisoners. The mob’s primary objective was not to free prisoners, but to seize the huge ammunition stores held within the prison walls. When the prison governor refused to comply, the mob charged and, after a violent battle, eventually took control of the fortress. The governor was seized and killed, his head carried round the streets on a spike. The storming of the Bastille symbolically marked the beginning of the French Revolution, in which the monarchy was overthrown and a republic set up based on the ideas of ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ (liberty, equality and fraternity).

  • How did you integrate this pivotal historical moment within the Assassin’s Creed Unity universe and Arno’s story?

The player will of course witness this major event of the French Revolution at the front seat during the first hours of the game. But I won’t reveal the details and spoil you the surprise of reliving this historical moment while playing Assassin’s Creed Unity.

  • More generally, what part of the Revolution will be covered by the storyline? What historical milestones can we expect to witness in the game?

The game will cover several major events that occurred during the French Revolution. From the Estate General which marked the rupture between the King and the people to Robespierre’s arrest, the player will witness key moments from the French Revolution such as the Storming of the Bastille (as detailed before), the Storming of the Tuileries in August 1792 or the Prisons’ Massacres from September 1792, and of course, the beheading of Louis XVI in January 1793.

  • How will Arno own story be linked to these historical events? Will he meet famous historical characters?

It is important to make a distinction here. When creating ACU, we did not want to be trapped by doing a checklist of historical events. We had to avoid that at all costs. The story of ACU is Arno’s story, and this story happens to take place during the French Revolution (backdrop). Certain elements of the French Revolution affect and reinforce our main protagonist’s story. It is the Revolution that supports Arno’s story; Arno’s story does not bend to the Revolution. The game will be improved in that regard. We want this game to be a fun experience, reinforced by the French Revolution setting.

  • How is the French Revolution different from the American Revolution featured in Assassin’s Creed III?

First, I’d say the French Revolution is a very complex period filled with such rich history and we had so many events to choose from.  Telling our story accurately while emphasizing on the important events that defined the French Revolution was probably the hardest thing.  In complexity comparison and without simplifying it too much, the American experience of 1776-1783 mostly became a war for independance against the British crown.  The French Revolution was a total rejection of repressive feudal principles that had endured for centuries and which is why the victims were mostly civilians.  It gave the middle finger (and the guillotine) to anyone who supported the old social order of Europe.

Secondly, the French Revolution was a time of firsts. It included the first-ever assault on the entire concept of organized religion. The first genuinely populist uprising (which was put down by other revolutionaries.) The first modern police state, with show trials, informants, and public executions. On the brighter side, it included the first clear enunciation of modern liberal principles that we in the West take for granted. For all our focus on the American Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man predated the American document by a year. The French Revolution saw the birth of the charter of rights; it’s the inauguration of a new world. It also gave way to Napoléon’s war that changed not only Europe, but also the entire world. It is during that time that the old way was replaced by the new. The other nations kept their monarchic structure, but the French Revolution made everyone realize that this model was doomed. A new system had to be found, and the foundations of that new system were laid.

Finally, at the individual level, it was exceptionally bloody; nearly all of the victims were civilian. It was a time of terror in which no one was safe. A man could be sent to the guillotine on his neighbor’s whim. In sum, it was an extraordinarily violent, cruel, and momentous decade that took Europe by surprise. And while we might think we know what happened, there are plenty of stories from that time which have, until now, escaped popular imagination. In essence, the French Revolution represents a perfect template for an Assassin’s Creed game. To this end, we believe that the fans who enjoyed our previous games are going to love the new setting

This trailer is entitled “Inside the Revolution”, which delves into the history of the French Revolution and the setting for Assassin’s Creed Unity

Razer Announces Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One

Chris Hare
-
0
Razer Announces Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One

Razer, has today unveiled the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox Ones for eSports athletes, the new console controller is customizable and constructed with modders and competitive gamers in mind.

atrox-carousel-2

Razer is building on the success of the original Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for the Xbox 360, applying many years of collective gaming experience from pro gamers and the Razer community. Some of the world’s best eSports athletes who beta tested the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One will be participating in EVO 2014, including Team Razer member Xian, the event’s defending champion. Additionally, Razer partnered with Microsoft to design a limited edition faceplate for Killer Instinct – the exclusive launch title for the Xbox One, which is being showcased at EVO 2014.

The Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One is the definitive Arcade Stick for tournament-grade gaming. It features eight genuine SanwaTM Denshi buttons and an ergonomically authentic arcade layout. The inside of the platform opens up at the touch of a button, making it a breeze to customize for all tastes and play styles. Users are able to swap in their own personal designs for a unique look and feel by way of a honeycomb structure that allows for easy customization of internal components.
Dedicated slots inside the controller can be used to store the included alternate bat-top joystick, detachable USB cable and bundled screwdriver that can be used for easy modding.

“We designed the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One on the same principles that made the Razer Atrox for Xbox 360 so popular amongst the fighting game community,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “Professional gaming is growing rapidly into a global phenomenon, and gear like the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox One will help fighting game players everywhere dominate the opposition in style, match after match.”
Razer previously demonstrated its ability to produce tournament-grade console products with the Razer Sabertooth and Razer Onza Xbox 360 controllers and the Razer Carcharias Xbox 360 gaming headset.

Price:   $ 199.99

Availability:     Razerzone.com – August 2014 Worldwide

Deadman’s Cross collaboration with Capcom

Chris Hare
-
0
Deadman’s Cross collaboration with Capcom

SQUARE ENIX’s zombie-themed collectible card battle RPG, DEADMAN’S CROSS which recently surpassed 3 million downloads worldwide, is about to get more evil, as the company today announces a new collaboration with CAPCOM’s horror game series, RESIDENT EVIL.

deadmans_cross_logo_14_1405339163.07.2014

Starting today, Raccoon City from the RESIDENT EVIL franchise will be added as a limited time hunt area in DEADMAN’S CROSS where players will obtain exclusive cards of creatures from the RESIDENT EVIL series as well as the normal deadman cards.

deadmans_cross_screenshot_14_1405338938.07.2014_3 deadmans_cross_screenshot_14_1405338937.07.2014_1

By completing a collaboration quest, players will receive a Raccoon City Permit which allows players to enter the Raccoon City hunt area. The collaboration kicks-off today and is scheduled to run until Sunday, 27th July.

deadmans_cross_card_14_1405339096.07.2014_1

DEADMAN’S CROSS for free, visit the game’s app store pages here: App Store and Google Play

Maya announced for Season 2 of Killer Instinct

Chris Hare
-
0
Maya announced for Season 2 of Killer Instinct

Maya is latest character to be confirmed for the ‘second season’ of Killer Instinct on Xbox One.

Killer Instinct Maya

The Amazonian warrior has only appeared in one Killer Instinct game, the Killer Instinct 2 (1996), which was later released on N64 as Killer Instinct Gold.

With Maya the queen of Amazonia after banishing the evil dark lord Gargos, but when he returned Maya was cast out by her tribe and forced to vanquish him to regain her throne.

Maya’s moves include dagger throws, with her weapons able to level up as the match progresses. If her daggers are powered-up all the way, they will home in on opponents and become unblockable. However, there’s a risk-reward element to Maya’s weapons, as missing with these weapons can make her weaker. Along with Maya came a new stage called City of Dawn, set in Maya’s Incan homelands.

Iron Galaxy added that Season 2 will feature eight more characters, including some all-new ones. They’ll also add a new ladder system, which will revamp the game’s current multiplayer ranking system. New stage interactions, dubbed “Stage Ultras” are also being added to help give players new ways to finish their opponents.

Tekken 7 announced at EVO

Chris Hare
-
0
Tekken 7 announced at EVO

At the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) fighting game tournament held in the Westgate Las Vegas Hotel & Resort, BANDAI NAMCO announced  TEKKEN 7, the latest installment of the venerable franchise, powered by the Unreal Engine 4.

Tekken-7-logo

“The power and flexibility means that we can focus our efforts on making TEKKEN 7 the best possible game without worrying about spending time creating a stand-alone graphic engine,” said Katsuhiro Harada, TEKKEN series Executive Producer/Game Director at BANDAI NAMCO. “With Unreal Engine 4, we could rapidly achieve visual quality expected on next-gen platform and go beyond it. Not only is Unreal Engine 4 powerful and easy to use, but it allows us to immediately bring TEKKEN 7 to any platform we desire.”

TEKKEN 7  took center stage at EVO, bringing the competition to a halt with a sizzling trailer hinting towards the ambitious technical feats that Unreal Engine 4 will make possible for Harada and the TEKKEN development team. Working closely with the Epic Games engine group in Japan and leveraging the might of UE4, these two teams are fueling the next generation of fighting games.

“The Tekken franchise is beloved and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with the talented team at BANDAI NAMCO,” said Taka Kawasaki, Studio Head at Epic Games Japan. “This marriage is perfect – the most powerful engine in gaming along with one of the most enduring brands in fighting games. We have no doubt that these forces coming together will yield fantastic results.”

Tekken 7 joins a long line of games that have been announced recently and shown to be powered by Unreal Engine 4. Crackdown, EVE: Valkyrie, Fable Legends and many others round out the rapidly growing list of games using the engine.

The Winners of our a Win a copy of Sniper Elite 3 and a Giotek Headset for the PS4

Andrew Edney
-
0
The Winners of our a Win a copy of Sniper Elite 3 and a Giotek Headset for the PS4

To celebrate the release of the highly anticipated strategic shooter Sniper Elite 3, we’re giving one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of the game on PS4, along with a PS4 headset by Giotek, and a runner up a copy on the Xbox One – and here are the winners!

Sniper-Image-_thumb1AX1-R_PS3_Hero_01-hue-alt_thumb9

Observe.  Plan.  Execute. Adapt… Sniper Elite 3 is out now on PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360 from 505 Games.

Check out our review of Sniper Elite 3 here.

The Winners

So the first prize of Sniper Elite 3 on the PS4 along with a PS4 headset by Giotek goes to:

Jane Chadwick

The runners up prise of Sniper Elite 3 on the Xbox One goes to:

Lee Hardy

In addition, Gioteck are offering 50% off their AX1-R headset for PS4 (also works with Xbox One with the additional Microsoft Stereo Headset Adapter) via Gamers Outlet http://tinyurl.com/osmb2p2– just enter the code SNIPER50 on the check-out screen (valid from the 1st of July to 22nd July).

The Winners of our Under the Skin on DVD and soundtrack contest

Andrew Edney
-
0
The Winners of our Under the Skin on DVD and soundtrack contest

To celebrate the launch of Under the Skin on DVD and Blu-Ray, we gave you the chance win the DVD and a copy of the soundtrack – and here are the winners.

UnderTheSkin_DVD_3DPack_thumb

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth), UNDER THE SKIN features an absolutely mesmerising performance from Scarlett Johansson (Her, Don Jon) as a seductive alien preying upon hitchhikers in Scotland.

Adapted from Michael Faber’s novel of the same name, UNDER THE SKIN has undergone a decade-long transition from page to screen, with performances heightened in the finished film by Glazer’s singular decision to shoot many of Johansson’s scenes as unscripted conversations with non-actors, using hidden cameras.

The Winners

Alex Boone

David Winter

Sammy Sellick

Under the Skin is available on digital platforms on July 7th and on Blu-ray & DVD on 14th July, 2014.

Linksys WRT1900AC Review: Part Two: Performance and Wrap-Up

Jim McCarthy
-
1
Linksys WRT1900AC Review: Part Two: Performance and Wrap-Up

Linksys recently released the WRT1900AC router, intended to be the highest-performance AC1900 router on the market.  They were nice enough to send me one to review; here is Part Two of my review where I evaluate the router on Coverage, Performance, Stability and Overall Evaluation.

Linksys-WRT1900AC-Router_Final_thumb

Linksys recently released the WRT1900AC router, intended to be the highest-performance AC1900 router on the market.  They were nice enough to send me one to review; here is Part Two of my review where I evaluate the router on Coverage, Performance, Stability and Overall Evaluation.  Part One where I detail installation is here.

Coverage

The location that I chose for my router is in the basement networking closet, in the back corner of the house.  In other words, when I laid out my home network, I chose the worst possible location for a wireless router.  Duh!  This means that I’ve seen some coverage gaps in the house: in the home office, in my daughter’s room, and on the front and back porches.  I’ve seen these issues with my otherwise-outstanding NETGEAR WNDR3700v2, with the EA6700 and with the EA6900.  The R7000 provided acceptable coverage on the 2.4GHz band in these locations, and also provided acceptable 5 GHz coverage in the home office.

The WRT1900AC provided superior coverage in all locations throughout the house and on both bands.  Linksys uses a higher-powered radio and a four antenna system, and it simply provides a more stable and higher-power connection on both bands everywhere in the home where I want to use wireless.  In fact, I was able to get a stable 2.4 Ghz signal in my neighbor’s yard with my Microsoft Surface RT, something that no other router that I’ve reviewed has been able to do.  Advantage to the WRT1900AC.

Performance

One of the main reasons to look at wireless AC is to leverage the higher speeds available, with some sources claiming double or triple the speeds available to users of wireless N routers.  Of course, you need to have wireless AC gear to see higher speeds.  What did I note when I ran performance testing?  Let’s see.  First a few notes about how I tested.  I used an HP HDX Premium laptop with a NETGEAR A6200 WiFi USB Adapter; this adapter promises AC1200 speeds when connected to the 5 GHz band.  I loaded jperf network testing software onto the laptop, and also onto an HP desktop with wired access to the WRT1900AC router.  Note that the network strength of the location that the HP HDX was in was not optimal, leading to somewhat lower speeds than others testing in more optimal conditions; this should reflect more of a real-world performance and also will illustrate the differences between wireless N and AC speeds.

The WRT1900AC was tested in four modes:  AC Only on 5 GHz, Mixed AC/N on the 5GHz band, N Only on the 5 GHz band and N Only on the 2.4 GHz band.  The following graph shows the results of the jperf performance runs, with 40 tests run for each router mode.

 

image

Overall performance can be summarized as follows:

image

These speeds are lower than other testing that I’ve seen published on the internet, as those tests are largely conducted under more optimal connection conditions.  I plan to update my testing results by testing in optimal connection conditions, but these results do clearly show that AC delivers double to triple the speeds in your implementation, and these speeds are consistent with streaming 1080i/p content wirelessly.  I have seen flawless streaming of live Media Center 1080i TV broadcasts to my Surface Pro 3 using AC on the 5 GHz band, something that dual stream N routers always struggled with.  I’d say that the WRT1900AC delivers on wireless performance.

On a side note, these speeds are consistent with speeds that I’ve achieved with the EA6900 from Linksys and the R7000 from NETGEAR.  However, range is markedly superior on the WRT1900AC compared with these lower-priced competitors.  If you are seeing dead spots using these other AC1900 products, you may see better range performance with the WRT1900AC.  The above performance testing was not possible to complete with the EA6900 and R7000 in the location that I performed this testing as their radios did not have sufficient range to maintain consistent 5 GHz connections to that section of my home.  The WRT1900AC has eliminated that issue for me.

Stability

Stability to me is can I set the router up and then have it perform adequately without requiring a reset.  The gold standard here for comparison is my old NETGEAR WNDR3700v2 router; it ran without a reboot being required for over a year.  The EA6700 seems to have had a heat control issue; it required reboots several times per week.  The EA6900 was as stable as the WNDR3700v2; I can’t recall rebooting it to restore service over the 2 months that it was in production as my main router.  The NETGEAR R7000, however, had major firmware issues which required reboots several times per week.  Recent firmware updates helped with this, fixing issues seen on the 5 GHz band, but resets were still required several times per week to restore 2.4 GHz connectivity.  In addition, printers connecting to the R700, on either the 2.4 Ghz band or the 5 GHz band, randomly disconnected, or became unreachable even though the R7000 reported them as being connected.  This behavior persists for me in the current firmware being used on the R7000 today.

The WRT1900AC has been as stable as the NETGEAR WNDR3700v2 was for me.  I have not had to reboot the router once in the 8 weeks that it has been running as my primary router.  Advantage to the WRT1900AC.

Smart Wi-Fi Tweaks on the WRT1900AC

Linksys has enhanced Smart Wi-Fi, particularly the device network mapping feature.  Here is the new Smart Wi-Fi network map for my network:

image

Here’s some detail for one of the devices that is connected:

image

I find Smart Wi-Fi to be very useful, and the device map makes it easy to see what is connected and what the IP address and MAC address is.  This can be useful when troubleshooting and is a nice step up from the less complete network mapping feature available in the prior releases of Smart Wi-Fi.

In addition to network mapping, Smart Wi-Fi continues to support mobile app access to your network, as well as per-device parental controls to control certain devices on your network.  I find these features to be well-designed and see Smart Wi-Fi as a useful addition to the router featureset.

Overall Evaluation

The WRTAC1900 is the best-performing router that I’ve seen yet…and I recommend it heartily as the current performance and range king in the AC1900 space.  Andrew recently needed a new router and asked me if this router was worth the difference in price.  I told him to buy this router without hesitation and he did; he was amazed at the performance and range that it delivers.  This is my current go-to recommendation for AC1900 routers.

If you are currently in the market for an AC1900 router, and are considering the EA600 or R7000, the WRT1900AC is a step up in range, while delivering similar speed and performance.  Compared to the R7000, this router has been more stable and delivered better connectivity for 2.4 GHz devices and printers.  Compared with the EA6900, performance and stability is comparable, but with much better range.  Pricing is about $60-$80 USD higher than these competing AC1900 routers (as per today’s pricing available online via Best Buy in the US).  Is it worth the premium?  If you are having range issues now in your home, then I would gladly pay the premium and buy the WRT1900AC over these competitors.  If you are not seeing range issues, then you have a harder decision….but I recommend spending the extra on this router.  The WRT1900AC is my current go-to recommendation for high-performance AC1900 routers and is awarded it a 5/5 Gold Award.

CDW-Rating-Banner-black-5

Special thanks to Linksys for providing the WRT1900AC router tested in these two articles.  It had no impact on my evaluation, but you need to know that this router was provided free of charge for this review.  And stay tuned for reviews of the accessories that will be available on the WRT1900AC!

Linksys WRT1900AC Router Review: Part One: Router Installation

Jim McCarthy
-
1
Linksys WRT1900AC Router Review: Part One: Router Installation

Linksys recently released the WRT1900AC router, intended to be the highest-performance AC1900 router on the market.  They were nice enough to send me one to review; here is Part One of my review where I walk you through the installation process.

Linksys WRT1900AC Router_Final

Linksys recently released the WRT1900AC router, intended to be the highest-performance AC1900 router on the market.  They were nice enough to send me one to review; here is Part One of my review.

We first told you about this router here.  This router is an attempt to seize the performance AC1900 lead by building on the heritage and reputation garnered by the venerable WRT line of routers.  Here is a quick YouTube video that explains the router:

The Linksys tagline for this product is Performance Perfected.  Let’s see if they get there.  Evaluating this router, I’ll look at Ease of Installation, Coverage, Performance, and Stability.  In addition, I’ll be comparing the WRT1900AC to a Linksys EA6700 (provided free for review purposes by Linksys), a Linksys EA6900 (purchased by me), and a NETGEAR R7000 (provided free for review purposes by NETGEAR and pending a completed review due to firmware issues).

Ease of Installation

First, unplug your current router.  Place the WRT1900AC where you want it; plug the yellow ethernet cable into the cable modem and then the yellow WAN port on the WRT1900AC, then power it up.  Open up http://myrouter.local in your browser of choice (it worked just fine in IE11, Chrome and Firefox for me) and you’ll see this:

clip_image002

Accept the terms and conditions and click Next.

clip_image004

Once it finds the internet, click Next.  This went as smoothly as on the EA6900 and the R7000, and was much faster than with the EA6700.

clip_image006

I want updates to be applied automatically, so I clicked the checkbox and hit Next.

clip_image008

I accepted the network names here.  I renamed them later from inside Smart Wi Fi in order to maintain backward compatibility with the devices that I already have set up to use my wi-fi network.  Anyway, click Next here to continue.

clip_image010

Updating the settings…

clip_image012

I changed the admin password and clicked Next.

WRT1900AC Screenshot 1

Success!  Now onto setting up the Smart Wi-Fi remote access.

clip_image016

If you want to opt out of Smart Wi-Fi’s online access features, click No Thanks then Next.  I want those features so I clicked Next.

clip_image018

I provided my Smart Wi-Fi details.  If you don’t have an account, click on Create My Account, set it up, then fill in your details here to link the router to your account.

clip_image020

Success!  Start to finish, this took 22 minutes.

Installation Evaluation

Router manufacturers are trying to make installing their product even easier as they make them more powerful.  Linksys hits the mark here; I had the router up and running in 22 minutes start to finish with no drama.  Installation was as easy as installing the EA6700 and EA6900.  Due to some issues around firmware on the R7000, I had major issues getting devices to connect; the WRT1900AC comes out ahead of the R7000 and on par with other Linksys AC1900 routers that I’ve reviewed.  To be fair to NETGEAR, the installation process on the R7000 is also a breeze; when they resolve the 2.4 GHz connectivity issues and the printer connectivity issues that I saw on the R7000, these two routers will be on par as far as getting things set up easily.

Some people have complained about using Smart Wi-Fi to manage the Linksys routers over the internet.  Note that you can check a box during setup to bypass using Smart Wi-Fi.  I opted to use it as I love being able to manage the router in detail over the internet, but if you opt for managing locally, you can.

Overall, the Linksys WRT1900AC is very easy to set up.  Linksys hits the mark on Ease of Installation.  Stay tuned for Part Two, where I cover Coverage, Performance, Stability and Wrap-Up.

Shadow of Mordor – San Diego Comic-Con Panel

Chris Hare
-
0
Shadow of Mordor – San Diego Comic-Con Panel

With Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Productions, will be the topic of a feature panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, 25th July, showcasing key development talent in writing, design, art and acting from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

For the panel titled, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – How the Nemesis System evolves new-generation storytelling in games, and explores the history of the Rings of power, the discussion will include the following:

·         Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’s innovative approach to storytelling through the Nemesis System, and how storytelling in games is all about the player stories
·         The secret history of the Rings of Power and their relationship to the Wraith, one of the key characters in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
·         Reveal new story elements, including one of Middle-earth’s most beloved characters, Gollum and his role in the upcoming action game
·         A brand new feature trailer reveal

To wet fans’ appetites, the team today reveals the first Behind the Scenes interview for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, revealing panellists Troy Baker, who stars as Talion (The Last of Us, Batman: Arkham Origins) and Christian Cantamessa, lead writer (Red Dead Redemption), discussing their experiences creating the game. Look closely for the first glimpse of a beloved Middle-earth character, and a few new faces.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC out on 7th October.

Japan to get Frozen Themed PS4

Chris Hare
-
0
Japan to get Frozen Themed PS4
Sony are releasing a Frozen PS4 in Japan, despite the fact that there isn’t even a PlayStation 4 game for the so popular Disney movie.
frozen ps4
The limited edition Frozen PlayStation 4 will retail for 42,980 yen and comes out on 16th July. As always, this PS4 package includes a 500 GB console, a DualShock 4 controller, and the Frozen themed hard drive cover.

RedBedlam announces BAFTA Q&A with Bedlam author

Chris Hare
-
0
RedBedlam announces BAFTA Q&A with Bedlam author

RedBedlam has announced that it will be hosting an exclusive event at BAFTA’s headquarters, 195 Piccadilly in London, on 5th August for generation-hopping shooter Bedlam: a unique creative collaboration which has seen a novel and a video game developed concurrently.

bedlam

The BAFTA Games Showcase will premiere the brand new trailer for Bedlam, followed by a game demo, then an interview with Christopher Brookmyre, author of the game’s best-selling companion novel. The audience will also have the opportunity to pose questions.

Christopher Brookmyre photographed by Charlie Hopkinson © 2006.

The session will be hosted by Guy Cocker and provide insight into:

  • How the project came about from fan email to author and how that then turned into a novel
  • The creative process for taking a published novel and turning it into a video game
  • The creative process between the writer and game developer to take the game to launch
  • Making the decision to introduce a female lead for the video game
  • How the book and game industries are working closer together

Afterwards there will be hands-on access to the game for the very first time, followed by a networking drinks reception.

bedlam_screenshot_2

In addition, everyone who attends will be eligible for beta access to the game for £6.99 (usually £12.99).

“This has been a creative process unlike anything I have experienced in almost 20 years of writing fiction,” said Christopher Brookmyre. “It has resulted in a novel that has had grown geeks weeping with nostalgia, and now I’m hoping the game will remind players of all the things that made them fall in love with first-person shooters down the years.”

RedBedlam recently took a step towards redressing the longstanding gender imbalance in the FPS genre by announcing that the lead role in Bedlam will be a new character created specifically for the game.

In Bedlam, players will take on the role of Heather Quinn (aka Athena), a programmer at medical scanning developer Neurosphere who finds herself transported into the world of Starfire: a nineties FPS she remembers from her teen years. Searching for an explanation and a way home, she ventures beyond Starfire to discover a vast realm of interconnected game worlds documenting the evolution of the FPS genre and of video games in general.

Bedlam is adapted from the novel by Christopher Brookmyre, but diverges from the original in this change of protagonist. The novel’s hero, Ross Baker, does feature prominently in the game, but the switch to a female lead – who is a gamer and sci-fi fan – offered a fresh and bitingly humorous new perspective upon the “gameverse” that the player will explore.

For more information on the event and to buy tickets, please visit the BAFTA event page here.

1...855856857...1,615Page 856 of 1,615