With Square Enix which has brought FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn brings the classic elements of the FINAL FANTASY franchise to the online world. Along with vastly upgraded graphics, this new version features PlayStation Vita remote play functionality, which allows players to continue their adventure wherever they go. And with the PS4 Share feature, players can stream their favourite moments, and share memorable screenshots with friends and fellow community members. The PS4 version of FFXIV: A Realm Reborn also takes full advantage of mouse and keyboard support.
The PlayStation 4 Collector’s Edition for FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn is available today and comes with a special collector box and art book, special music disc, as well as six in-game bonus items. FINAL FANTASY XIV players that own the original FINAL FANTASY XIV 1.0 Collector’s Edition or FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn PlayStation 3 / PC Collector’s Editions will also be granted two new additional in-game items (Fat Chocobo Mount & Wind-up Moogle Minion).
FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn PlayStation 4 Collector’s Edition includes:
• Exclusive Box
• Art Book – The Art of Eorzea: A Realm Reimagined
• Special Soundtrack – The Sounds of Eorzea
• Art Card Set
• Themed Security Token
• Seventh Umbral Era Special Movie Content Disc – The Waning of the Sixth Sun
• In-Game Items – Fat Chocobo Mount, Coeurl Mount, Behemoth Barding, Wind-up Moogle, Baby Behemoth, Helm of Light
Players who own the PlayStation 3 version of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn can transfer their accounts to the PlayStation 4 version for free. You must note that, once upgraded, PS4 players will no longer be allowed access to the PS3 version. To play both versions, a player must also purchase the PS4 version. Also, both PS3 and PS4 Standard Edition owners can upgrade to the digital-only Collector’s Edition for in-game bonuses via the FINAL FANTASY XIV: Mog Station.
Once again Traveller’s Tales have been hard at work and have delivered us yet another Lego game; in this instalment, it’s time to revisit Middle Earth and see what our Hobbit friend Bilbo has been up to with a gang of uninvited dwarfs and something about a dragon…
As per usual in the Lego gaming franchise, the general format hasn’t changed too much; anyone who’s even so much as glanced at a friend playing, will know exactly what to expect. You’ll smash everything in sight, solve some tame puzzles and collect more than you’ve ever collected before, especially so with the new crafting system in place. Setting the tone of the film rather nicely, you’ll find that you don’t actually come into contact with any enemies for around the first hour of quests; instead, you’ll be given a brief rundown of what the narrative entails followed by playing host to a rambunctious crowd of hungry Dwarfs.
As in true Lego fashion, you’ll find yourself playing through the film(s) most memorable and action packed scenes in only the way Traveller’s Tales know how. Breaking up the pace and not letting you get too worn out with the same task has always been their speciality. You’ll battle hordes of enemies, solve puzzles, do some sneaking and take on boss battles, all whilst taking a Warhammer to the scenery of course. You’re never left doing the same thing for an extended period of time and this translates to the free roam too. Upon completion of its approximately 6-7 hour campaign, you’re given free reign of Middle Earth to wander the plains, villages and mountains as whomever you please. It’s oddly satisfying wandering about Bree as a glowing Sauron, more so when the villagers don’t take up arms and instead (this time around) leave you about your business! I often find the post-game of Lego titles to be somewhat therapeutic, slowly and methodically working your way through the collectibles, and of course, amassing a Dwarf shaming fortune of studs can be incredibly addictive too.
On top of studs, bricks of differing colours, envelopes, minikits and equippable items, you’ll also find yourself chasing down baguettes, gems and planks of wood. Before, when crafting something at the blacksmith, you were only really required to part ways with your precious Mithril/silver bricks, now you must also pony up some crafting materials. Whilst there are also some points in the main story where you must give up your hard earned fish and rope to progress, anything they require will be lootable in the area. It’s a potentially interesting system as it could make you prioritise something over another, but in reality, when you’re destroying everything in sight; it just means scampering after something other than studs.
Due to the rather unsurprising fact that we already have had a Lego Lord of the Rings game, you’d be forgiven for asking ‘what’s different?’ It turns out, quite a lot. As it follows the first two Hobbit films, locations are inevitably revisited, but it also means that others are added. Whilst you may have had your fill of Lego Rivendell in the past, you also won’t have dipped your toes in Lake Town either. Some of the characters jump roster and bring along with them, their unique brick-hunting traits, others are mostly new. Again, the character selection screen is overfilled with the same, repeated set, with younger or older versions often filling in the blanks. I don’t mind that there are characters repeated, but it would be nice to have all repeats on the same slot and be able to cycle between them using the right thumbstick for example. When you’re pawing through the screen looking for a specific ability of a dwarf, especially when so many of them look so alike, it can be frustrating to have to look through each one until their board placement is memorized. Due to the bewilderingly similar sounding names, I ended up making my own nicknames to help locate them on the character selection screen. ‘Russian with hat’ is what I went with for the mining ability, ‘Aragorn with green shirt’ for the bow and arrow, and ‘Not quite full ginger beard’ for the largely useless (but hilariously animated) belly bounce.
Other new changes spring up over the course of the game, the ability to ‘buddy up’ with another dwarf to create more firepower, making it especially useful against bosses, or when you just want to re-enact a chaotic version of ring around the roses. Stacking is now a way for the Dwarfs to help each other reach higher places, essentially, they stand on top of one another, and someone else climbs up them. Dwarven ingenuity over simple Elvish leaping they might say, with a mead soaked beard.
Whilst most things have taken a turn for the better, there is still room for improvement however. The camera, although greatly improved from the past titles, can still get stuck; no matter how much you scream at it or shunt the right thumbstick, it will stay resolute. Another constant ache is the auto targeting with ranged characters in combat. All will seem fine and dandy until Gandalf, for all of his wisdom, will completely ignore the target and start incessantly casting spells at the nearest plant, something that came to fruition during a boss fight alongside another, rather more nature loving, wizard. My final criticism being one that had my brow furrowed throughout, the issue of the disappearing blocks. I know that it would look ridiculous to have an item you’ve smashed to smithereens instantaneously vanish from existence the moment it’s broken, but don’t scatter the (still rendered) pieces at my feet and then not let me walk freely through them. Countless times I have had to sit and wait for the pieces to disappear before continuing on and breaking the next set of objects; when studs disappear after a while, it can feel unnecessarily hampering.
In terms of presentation, a Lego game has never looked so good, the lighting is impressive, the animations appear to have been spruced up and the studs are shinier than ever. As always, it can be fun to see how they’ve made certain major enemies and locations out of Lego, shortly followed by grumbling and wishing you had Lego like this when you were young! The music and voice work are understandably stellar, especially from a series such as this, you would expect nothing less. Menus are slick and fast; changing characters is no longer a chore as the loading times have been drastically reduced across the board, making exploring and hunting for bricks, that much more seamless.
Never ones for dramatically breaking the mould, Traveller’s Tales have once again cornered the market in fully licenced, accessible fun. If you like the franchise it’s based upon, buy the game.
During your time on Invizimals you will play as a character called Hiro. It seems he works for a secret organization that send him through a portal into another world inhabited by talking animals – Invizimals. On your travels you will meet many such creatures each of which sport their own abilities to help Hiro travel around the world. Although you have to ‘prove’ yourself first by fighting them in a brief QTE scene. After you’ve beaten them up they let you take their powers so you can transform into them at will. OK, why not?
Collecting small floating orbs called ‘Z sparks’ essentially acts as currency for you to spend on upgrading your creature’s abilities – and unlocking the occasional secret door. Sadly each creature only has three heavy attacks and three ‘special’ moves for you to acquire. The difference between the heavy attacks is minimal and basically will just allow you to choose between a weaker attack that you can use more frequently and a more powerful one that you can use less.
On top of that you can only unlock them in order so to acquire a final move you must first acquire the five before it. Also there is an unbelievable abundance of z-sparks and you will have more than enough to purchase upgrades almost, if not, immediately after you acquire a new creature. There are a few ‘secret’ areas that allow you to briefly get off the main path but not enough to make for any decent exploration. So considering you’re never really in need of extra sparks there is very little incentive to go searching even if you do have the option.
There’s no other way to put it, the combat is rigid and repetitive. And time and time again I would get stuck on tiny pieces of uneven ground, unable to attack, reduced to mashing the jump button until I was free from my invisible prison. Even when things go right it’s a case of pushing square until the enemies die. You can throw in a heavy attack if you want but there’s no need. All this can be done without ever taking noticeable damage because enemies are far too forgiving. They’re so slow it becomes difficult to actually get them to attack you. And even if they do you’ll take minimal damage.
Unfortunately there’s not much else to it. You do some clunky platforming, you collect some sparks, you fight what may as well be a dummy and you start again. It takes very little time to get thoroughly bored on Invizimals. And the knowledge that it doesn’t get any more varied or interesting ensures any enthusiasm you may have dies long before you reach the end.
On the plus side the environments that surround your adventure are vibrant and colourful. Even though the combat is reduced to repetitively pressing a single button at least the areas give you something to look at. Considering the scope of the rest of the game there are even some surprisingly good looking moments. Sadly they are hindered by a fixed camera which varies between frustrating and game-breaking, especially during some of the already clunky platforming the camera can be a death sentence. Nobody wants to replay sections from a checkpoint just because the camera flips and you sarcastically walk of a ledge to your doom.
Every part of Invizimals feels cheap and poorly put together. That’s possibly unfair given the game’s budget but the final product is plagued by problems that shouldn’t be present on a PS3. Fixed cameras, unresponsive platforming and rigid combat sour Invizimals so much that it becomes very difficult to enjoy any part of the game. And even if you let yourself enjoy the gameplay briefly you will likely become bored quickly.
It’s difficult to imagine someone painstakingly spending months making sure Invizimals is the best it could be. The whole game feels rushed and put together directly from a last-gen platformer tick list. There’s no need for the patronisingly simple ‘puzzles’ and lack of threat during combat. The more than formidable selection of Lego games have proved time and time again that using simple mechanics a game can be packed with stuff to do and appeal to gamers of any age.
The only real victory for Invizimals are the graphics. Both the environments and the Invizimals themselves look surprisingly good. So too do the cutscenes that are dotted about to move the dubious plot onwards. But scratch the surface even lightly and the illusion is broken. Nothing in Invizimals feels anywhere near what other platformers currently offer. Apart from those who are big fans of Invizimals it’s hard to see who would get enjoyment from The Lost Kingdom. It feels so dated and rushed it’s difficult to even get deep enough into the game to allow the fixed camera and turgid combat and platforming to ruin your experience. And unfortunately there’s no fun in upgraded and acquiring new moves because they’re all handed over to us like we couldn’t cope without the game’s charity.
Without an original thought or design idea Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom comes off as generic as possible. It’s difficult to care about a game that seems to have been made without care. The Lost Kingdom just seems like the product of market research rather than because a developer had a good idea for a game.
Firaxis has announced that its next game will be Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth. The new themed entry in the Civilization franchise, is currently in development by Firaxis Games for Windows-based PC.
The game will also be coming to Mac and Linux via s Civilization: Beyond Earth will send players on an expedition from Earth to lead their people into a new frontier to explore and colonize an alien planet, and create a new civilisation.
Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth will propel the development of human civilisation beyond the traditional timeline of a Civilization game, by exploring humanity’s future on an alien world. For the first time, players will lead factions divided by contrasting cultures and evolve their new civilisations to reflect their chosen destiny. Players will experience an array of new gameplay possibilities, including nonlinear technological progression, deeper customisation of chosen factions, and an entire alien world that will change the very identity of each faction based on their choices.
“Having celebrated its 23rd anniversary last year, Civilization has cemented its reputation as one of the greatest and longest running franchises in video game history,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth builds upon that success by pushing the series in new directions with players exploring an unknown future on an alien planet.”
“The Civ team was excited about the opportunity to continue the story of Civilization into the future, because it allows the team to break free of historical context,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “We’ve always let our fans create the history of mankind, and Civilization: Beyond Earth will now let them create the future.”
Key features of Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth include:
· Seed the Adventure: Players will establish a cultural identity, select a leader and sponsor an expedition by assembling the spacecraft, cargo and colonists through a series of choices that directly impact starting conditions when arriving on the new alien planet.
· Alien World: Exploring the benefits and dangers of a new planet filled with dangerous terrain, mystical resources and hostile lifeforms unlike those of Earth, players will build outposts, unearth ancient alien relics, tame new forms of life, develop flourishing cities and establish trade routes to create prosperity for their people.
· New Technology Web: Reflecting forward progress in an uncertain future, technology advancement will occur through a series of nonlinear choices that affect the development of mankind.The tech web is organised around three broad themes, each with a distinct victory condition.
· New Quest System: Quests are infused with fiction about the planet, and will help guide players through a series of side missions that will aid in the collection of resources, upgrading units, and advancing through the game.
· New Orbital Layer: Players will build and deploy advanced military, economic and scientific satellites that provide strategic offensive, defensive and support capabilities from orbit.
In addition to its use of DirectX 11, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth will be among the first wave of products optimized for the latest in AMD graphics technologies, including: the new Mantle graphics API, for enhanced graphics performance; AMD CrossFire, for UltraHD resolutions and extreme image quality; and AMD Eyefinity, which allows for a panoramic gameplay experience on up to six different HD displays off of a single graphics card.
Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is not yet rated by PEGI, and will be available for Windows PC, Mac and Linux in the UK this Autumn for £39.99.
Out this week for Nintendo is Nintendo Pocket Football Club for the Nintendo 3DS priced at £10.79/€11.99 until the 1st May then it goes to £13.49/€14.99 download via the eShop.
Also out this week is Putty Squad from System 3 Software priced at £17.99/€19.99 via retail and the eShop.
What things come to mind when you hear the words “Free to play”? I know I automatically think of a sub-par, less engaging game with the option of microtransactions that usually puts you in a better position when facing other players. Thankfully, what Square Enix is doing with their latest game, Nosgoth breaks all these stereotypes and gives us an experience that we all can enjoy on numerous levels. Based on the lore of the Legacy of Kain series the game is centred on the humans uprising against the vampires that rule over everything. The vampires, brutal at close range melee combat verses the gadgets and crossbow wielding humans, this game is balanced beyond belief even if the two sides aren’t equipped the same.
Vampires
With no real ranged or projectile attacks the vampires might look like the side at a disadvantage. How do you fight something that can kill you from yards away when you can’t reach them? By simply outsmarting the opponent and luring them closer. This side of the two teams requires a lot more cunning tactics that we rarely see in competitive games. With the ability to climb upon virtually any surface and bound across the tops of buildings these bloodsuckers will always have the height advantage.
The Reaver isn’t like your traditional foot solider class as they alone can break up the formation of a group of humans in many ways. Reavers can ground slam from vantage points that disorientates a cluster of enemies, perfect for an opening attack before having teammates join in picking off their prey. With the ability to charge into your foes as well as the ability to ignore pain giving you up to 75% damage reduction the Reavers are your all rounded fighters.
The Tyrant plays like your larger tank-like class which can take more of a beating but that doesn’t mean you can run directly head on into battle. Though you are fast you’ll find it better to pounce attack onto unsuspecting humans, one of the Tyrants signature moves. Using his evasion perk you can quickly dodge incoming attacks with a damage reduction right after hitting them with a shadow bomb alerting your team where they are for back up.
The Sentinel is the only character with the awesome ability to take off into the air and fly. With this the Sentinel can leap from high ledges and attack in various ways without ever touching the ground again. My favourite moves including kidnapping the humans below and dropping them from a high enough position to damage them as well as a dive bomb on unsuspecting groups stunning those within close proximity.
The Deceiver was my favourite class by far on the vampire’s side as the move set itself is all about misleading then finishing off unsuspecting and clueless enemies. Being able to disguise yourself as the enemy can open up a lot of opportunities for getting up close with a backstabbing kill or even to evade a heated scenario. During the hands on I kept climbing to a vantage point and using the ability to possess and take over the human’s individually just to hear the cries of the other players whilst I lead them away helplessly. It might not have been an offensive move but seeing as this is the only game that I can recall where you can control an opponent it quickly became my favourite pass time activity.
Humans
The humans have the ranged advantage in Nosgoth with all their loadouts containing projectiles and gadgets. They can’t climb buildings but this doesn’t stop them from picking off targets waiting to pounce on them from rooftops with their trusty bows and launchers. Human are very effective in coordinated groups and I found that leaving the pack usually got me killed a lot quicker. Strength in numbers applies to this greatly.
The Scout is armed with his bow that you can charge shots with for even more damage as well as quick shots for faster attacks if the situation calls for it. He too can throw knives that can interrupt the enemy’s attack, which is a must if you’re trying to get away. The volley ability rains down arrows from above from the sky that deals with a great area of attack. Great for attacking multiple vampires at once.
The Hunter is the next step up from the Scout but with less accuracy but more firepower. With a crossbow that can fire repeated arrows automatically the downside is that it becomes less accurate after a while. The Hunters has the ability to stun incoming vampires with the Bola that bounds their movement as they become tied momentarily. Great if you want to get the upper hand in a fight or just need to escape quickly.
The Alchemist deals more with an explosive loadout armed with a launcher that fires bombs. The Alchemist can take on multiple foes this way and being armed with the sunlight vial which works as a flashbang and a fire wall, similar to a molotov cocktail spreading fire over a large space she’s not a human to take lightly.
How does it play?
Every match played puts you in control of the Vampires and the Humans equally to keep the game fair. This means in order to succeed you’ll have to successfully climb the walls and jumped onto unsuspecting enemies as the vampires before switching sides and trying not to fall for your own tactics coming back on you as you shoot them playing as the humans. The microtransactions doesn’t put you or the opponent at any advantage just to keep the balance. All the weapons has a plus and negative side so for instance if you choose a bow that deals in a high damage output it’ll take longer to charge up and vice versa. The boosts in the game are there to help players reach a higher level if you don’t fancy the grind but once again it doesn’t put you at an advantage with someone who’s a much lower level than you.
We only had hands on with the Team Deathmatch mode but during the presentation we were told about how Nosgoth plans to go into the competitive e-sports scene where you’ll stick to your preferred character of choice. The game mode and the levels we played was a good enough insight into seeing what’s to expect from this game and I must say it bettered my expectations and has me excited to see how it does on release. I’m a big fan of really balanced multiplayer games and Nosgoth being ranged vs melee works incredibly well and every match played was unique and exciting to see different tactics used.
Titanfall is already shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the year, and Titan Books have released an amazing Art of Titanfall book, and we have 2 copies of the book to give away.
THE ART OF TITANFALL, written by Andy McVittie, offers fans of this ground-breaking game an exclusive insight into its visual development through all stages of production… and a rare sneak–peek at what they can expect. The book also features detailed creator commentary from the entire Respawn Entertainment art team, giving readers added insight into the evolution of the game.
How to enter to win
Via the site
So all you have to do to win one of the two copies of The Art of Titanfall book is to click on the Contact Us link here or at the top of the page and tell us which your favourite titan is – simple!
Via Twitter
Just retweet the message below, and make sure you are following @aedney on Twitter:
— Movies Games and Tech (@moviesgamestek) April 14, 2014
Usual contest rules apply, and the winners will be selected at random. This contest is open only to those in the UK – sorry! You can enter as many times you as you like, but only one entry per day will be counted.
The contest ends Thursday 17th April, so good luck.
Linksys Starts Shipping the WRT1900AC, the Successor of Legendary WRT Wi-Fi Router
Best in class Wireless-AC router now available for purchase
with even more features and OpenWRT support
Irvine, Calif. – April 10, 2014– Linksys® today announced that it has started shipping the new WRT1900AC which will be available for sale at Best Buy or at the Linksys store throughout the US. The new WRT is the first consumer grade Wi-Fi router to feature 4 external antennas for optimal wireless coverage throughout the home and has been certified for the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard. The new wireless standard delivers best in class performance and includes intelligent technologies such as beamforming to further improve the wireless signal range. The design of the new Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Wi-Fi Router is inspired by the iconic WRT54G that was introduced 11 years ago. The new WRT has been equipped with powerful hardware such as a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 128MB Flash memory, eSata and USB ports.. The new WRT ships with Linksys Smart Wi-Fi set-up and management tools and Linksys has also been collaborating with OpenWRT to make sure that an Open Source alternative is available in the coming weeks.
“The WRT is a corner stone in the history of Wi-Fi and synonymous for many people in going wireless at home since it was their first wireless router. Since the introduction of the original WRT we have sold more than 50 million units worldwide and are still selling it very successfully even with wireless technology advancing rapidly,” said Mike Chen, vice president product management for Linksys. “The WRT has a cult status for many because of the open source aspect that made it so immensely popular. We are honored to have collaborated with OpenWRT to ensure the Open Source readiness of the product and building a WRT worthy successor with cutting edge hardware and iconic design.”
OpenWRT Ready
Over the past months Linksys and OpenWRT have been collaborating to ensure Open Source readiness for the new WRT. OpenWRT has received multiple development samples to build an OpenWRT firmware version that will be available from the OpenWRT website in the coming weeks.
“The history of OpenWRT goes back more than a decade when it all began with a project to hack and modify the Linksys WRT54G. A lot has changed since then,” said Gregers Petersen, relationship manager at OpenWRT. “Today OpenWRT is a complete embedded Linux distribution that enables users to be innovative and create new solutions and functions. Other key elements of OpenWRT are source code transparency, security and extensive package repositories. We see it as a very positive development to have collaborated directly with the Linksys engineering team on the new WRT1900AC router. As a result of that consumers will have the freedom of choice between the Linksys default firmware and OpenWRT. The OpenWRT developers recognize the potential of the collaboration with Linksys, and the opportunities it brings for more devices and solutions.”
New Features
Additional features have been added to the new WRT in the development process after the initial announcement at CES. Next to the extremely powerful router functionality, the new WRT now can be configured as a range extender or wireless bridge. Software features have also been added including support for the No-IP dynamic DNS service. Linksys is also planning to add Wi-Fi Scheduling and an OpenVPN based VPN Server to the WRT in a future firmware update to enable users to establish a secure remote connection to the router from anywhere in the world.
Better Range Through Antenna Diversity
Like other 802.11ac routers, data is transmitted to wireless clients by the WRT using three spatial streams. Unlike other 802.11ac routers the new WRT is equipped with four adjustable and removable antennas. The router automatically selects and utilizes the best three out of the four antennas to transmit and receive data to connected devices, depending on their location in the home. This antenna diversity technology helps provide greater range and coverage compared to more traditional three antenna devices, so all connected devices can achieve the best performance wherever they are located.
Linksys Smart Wi-Fi
Linksys Smart Wi-Fi is a setup and management software tool that gives users access to their connected devices from a browser or mobile app so they can easily manage their home network. Users can access their home network from anywhere from a browser on a PC or app on their iOS or Android smart phone or tablet to check the connection status of their devices, provide guest access to visitors or prevent kids from accessing social networks.
With the launch of the new WRT, Linksys has added a new Smart Wi-Fi tool called Network Map in the browser interface of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. Network Map is a visual representation of the home network displaying the router and its connected devices. The tool enables users to see, what devices are using the most bandwidth, how strong the signal is to a device or which wireless band it is connected to. Network Map provides a more intuitive and graphical approach to monitor and manage a home network.
WRT1900AC Hardware Specifications
80211ac Wi-Fi (backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n)
Speeds up to 1300Mbps* on the 5Ghz band
Speeds up to 600Mbps* on the 2.4 Ghz band
Gigabit WAN & LAN ports
1 x eSata/USB 2.0 port
1 x USB 3.0 port
1.2GHz dual-core ARM-based processor
128MB Flash Memory
256MB DDR3 RAM
4 exchangeable external antennas
WRT1900AC Software Features
Browser based set-up for installation from device PC/Mac, smartphone or tablet
Can be configured as: Router, Range Extender (aka Repeater) or Wireless Bridge
Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account at no cost
Linksys Smart Wi-Fi can be accessed from a browser or the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi app for iOS and Android
Share printers or storage devices through USB or eSata
Built in DLNA certified media server and FTP Server to share files
Drag and drop media prioritization to prioritize bandwidth for devices, applications or games
Parental controls to prevent access to websites or block access during certain hours.
Dynamic DNS services supported: No-IP, DynDNS and TZO
Built-in speedtest to test broadband upload and download speed
Open Source Ready
Pricing and Availability
The new Linksys WRT1900AC Dual-Band Wireless-AC Router will be available starting April 13, 2014 at Best Buy stores and at the Linksys.com store at an MSRP of $279.99.
Linksys was nice enough to send one of these units to me for a review; as soon as this article goes to press, I am swapping out my current EA6900 for this and will review it. It’s built like a tank! And with exchangeable antennas and OpenWRT support from nearly the beginning, this looks like a very interesting router…stay tuned for my complete review.
M.O.J.O. by Mad Catz is a truly versatile gaming and media console. Connect M.O.J.O. to your HDTV to play Android games, surf the web, stream media, and connect with your friends. Root and customize, modify and create – the stock Android OS lets you take M.O.J.O. where you want to go. Fully compatible with Mad Catz’ GameSmart suite of mobile accessories. GameSmart brings Bluetooth keyboards, controllers, headsets, and mice to M.O.J.O., your PC, and other smart devices.
Back at E3 2013, Alex “The Big Boy” Varrey showed us the M.O.J.O.
Who are Mad Catz?
From their website:
Mad Catz Interactive is a global provider of innovative interactive entertainment products marketed under its Mad Catz (gaming), Tritton (audio), and Saitek (simulation) brands. Mad Catz also develops flight simulation software through its internal ThunderHawk Studios; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties.
Specifications
NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40S 1.8GHz Processor
16GB Internal Storage
2GB RAM
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) Operating System
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n Support
USB 3.0 Port
USB 2.0 Port
MicroSD Flash Slot
3.5mm Headphone Socket
HDMI Out
100Mbit Ethernet Socket
Pre-installed Google Play and NVIDIA TegraZone Apps
What’s in the Box?
The box contains:
M.O.J.O. 1080p Gaming Console and Media Player
HDMI Cable (4.9ft/1.5m)
AC Adapter
C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad
USB Nano Dongle
Travel Clip
2x AAA Batteries
Everything comes very neatly packaged.
A Closer Look
The M.O.J.O.
The rear of the M.O.J.O. houses all of the ports. These include both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports (you will want to plug in the C.T.R.L.R dongle into the USB 3.0 port), an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, headphone port, power socket and MicroSD card slot.
C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad
The first thing you will notice about the C.T.R.L.R gamepad is that it looks very similar to an Xbox 360 controller. Gamers should immediately feel at home holding it, as it feels nice and robust in your hands.
The C.T.R.L.R has three separate modes which are selected via a switch. These include a “mouse mode” which enables the left stick to control the cursor on the screen, as though it were a mouse.
There are also media playback controls situated on the top of the C.T.R.L.R which include play, pause and mute.
Fitting the batteries is simple, as you would expect.
There is also a travel clip included in the box which enables you to connect up your smartphone to the C.T.R.L.R so that you can pretty much play games wherever you want.
Using the M.O.J.O.
Setting up the M.O.J.O. is very simple and only take a few moments – you can use either Wi-Fi or Ethernet to connect to your home network. If you plan on streaming a lot of content such as movies and music you might want to go for wired, but for everything else Wi-Fi works just great.
When the M.O.J.O. is operational, the light on the front is illuminated. There is no on/off switch on the M.O.J.O. so this is the primary way of telling that the device is operational (it will go into deep sleep mode after a period of inactivity). Don’t worry about having the M.O.J.O. running, it only draws 4.7W when used intensively and in standby mode it only draws 1.5W!
One thing I did notice when I was setting the M.O.J.O. up was that it kept being referred to on screen as a phone. So Android would report “your phone is installed”. It’s not a big deal, and doesn’t really cause a problem, but it would have been nice to have had it saying M.O.J.O. instead of phone!
Once you have signed into your Google account you can start installing apps and games, although you will fairly quickly notice that a number of games (such as Angry Birds) and apps (such as Facebook) won’t actually allow you to install them as it says your device isn’t compatible. Don’t worry, you haven’t just purchased an expensive media player, this is because of the way games and apps are reported in the Google Play store – they expect your device to be “touch-screen” enabled, which out of the box the M.O.J.O. doesn’t report. Mad Catz are actually working with developers to resolve this quirk, but in the meantime there is a simple solution and it’s called rooting!
Rooting enables your device to do more than was originally intended by the manufacturer and is something that the Android community adopted with open arms. In fact, an extremely high percentage of Android devices have been rooted, and there are thousands of sites on the Internet that offer guides, and even custom ROMs that make your device do more.
Mad Catz actually provide onscreen assistance in rooting the M.O.J.O., and even support the device once it’s rooted (not something that a lot of manufacturers actually do).
Rooting the M.O.J.O. is very simple and is just a case of downloading a small piece of software to your computer, connected your M.O.J.O. to your computer and running the software in order to root it. And that’s it! Once you have rebooted the M.O.J.O. it is rooted and you can then go an easily install and use any app or games from Google Play. In fact, the once rooted, the M.O.J.O. thinks its a Nexus 10 device.
Final Thoughts
The M.O.J.O. is very small, and lightweight and it looks great – perfect for sitting in your living room by your television without looking out of place. The setup is quick and easy and if you have ever used an Android device it will all be familiar to you. The M.O.J.O. runs (at the time of writing) Android OS (Jellybean 4.2.2.) and thanks to its Tegra 4 it is very fast! It is also silent, and it’s power requirements are extremely low. We mentioned earlier that even using an intensive game results in a draw of 4.7W compared to the 170W that an Xbox 360 drawers at its peak.
The M.O.J.O. is fully compatible with the Mad Catz GameSmart range of accessories, so it is very easy to connect up a mouse, or keyboard to the M.O.J.O – this will make your life easier in the long run.
I liked the feel of the C.T.R.L.R – it really did remind me in both look and feel of the Xbox 360 controller, but with more functionality. And the inclusion of the travel clip means that if you have another Android device such as a smartphone you can use the controller with that too. It also uses Bluetooth 4.0 technology to ensure lag free gaming, and believe me the last thing you want if you are playing a game is lag! You also get around 50 hours of playtime out of a single set of AA batteries, so that’s really good too!
The box also contains a set of batteries for the controller (which you would expect) but also an HDMI cable. This may not seem like a big deal, but you may not have a spare one laying around, so the fact they put one in the box makes life easier, and saves you a few pounds!
The M.O.J.O. comes with 16GB of built-in storage, and along with that it has a MicroSD slot so that you can expand your storage or plug in some of your own existing content to use.
Whilst it would have been nice to have had the device pre-rooted, this isn’t something I believe Mad Catz are allowed to do, however they can offer guidance and assistance, and as the whole process only takes a few moments and isn’t a scary list of steps and comments, pretty much anyone can do it. Once rooted the device really comes into it’s own.
Controlling the M.O.J.O. using the on screen pointer (remember that Android really is designed for touch) can take a little bit of getting used it, and is a little cumbersome at times, but it doesn’t take too long to get to grips with it, and you could always connect up one of those GameSmart devices to make your life even easier.
One thing that is a pain though is that some of the games you could install and play force a certain screen orientation – now on a phone or tablet the solution is simple, you turn the device, but that isn’t so easy on a large television. Fortunately there are plenty of apps available to change the orientation, so make sure you look for one and install it pretty much after you have rooted – after all you don’t want to ruin your gameplay experience!
One really great thing about the M.O.J.O. is that if you already own apps and games that you have previously purchased from Google Play, unlike other Android consoles you won’t need to buy them again, you can just download and install them without paying anything more.
The M.O.J.O. can be used for more than just playing games – you can surf the Internet (although you really want to use a keyboard for that otherwise you will get annoyed at how long it can take to enter a URL, especially if it is a long one), listen to music, watch movies, and so much more. In fact, if you have a TV or movie collection one of the first things you may want to install is Plex. And with the recent announcement that Mad Catz are bringing OUYA Everyone to the M.O.J.O. you will be able to do even more!
Overall I was very pleased with the M.O.J.O. I wasn’t concerned that it needed to be rooted, after all it was simple and quick to do, and most likely the majority of people who will buy the M.O.J.O. would be comfortable doing that anyway, and beside, Mad Catz actually help you to do it! There is so much that can be done with the M.O.J.O. and I look forward to exploring that more in the coming months, including testing it out with NVIDIA’s GameStream technology.
The current price of the M.O.J.O. is £179.99 which is quite a drop from the launch price at the start of the year.
This game takes place between the original Borderlands and Borderlands 2 and focuses on Borderlands 2 bad guy Handsome Jack. Oh, and it’s set on the moon!
Here is the gameplay footage in 1080p – enjoy:
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will be available in Autumn 2014 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
What do you think of it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug has just been released on DVD and Blu-Ray, and you can get an exclusive Lego Mini Set if you buy it from Sainsbury’s.
The exclusive Lego Mini Set, which includes Legolas Greenleaf with accessory kit is only available when you buy the Blu-Ray from Sainsbury’s, so if you are a Lego collector, and you want to see a great movie, you know where to go!
The first DLC for Titanfall has been announced today at PAX East. The DLC called “Expedition” will add three maps will be coming in this May and it will continue the story told in the game’s campaign.
One of the new gameplay elements to be introduced in the first map is wall-running on trees. Now Players will now be able to adjust their path while wall-running, choosing to jump from tree to tree, go higher or not. There will also be “zip-vines” for players to take advantage of it you like them.
War Games is another map in the upcoming map pack, While map packs will be paid DLC, Respawn Entertainment promises that game modes will be free. Another new mode coming to Titanfall is 2v2 Last Titan Standing. In addition, new Burn Cards will be coming, with the next update to focus on Titan-specific abilities.
Tecmo Koei’s long running Dynasty Warrior franchise returns with the new complete edition of it’s eighth iteration. Featuring the standalone game along with added extras thrown in, can this re-release justify a purchase from those who may have already wrung Dynasty Warriors 8 dry?
Much akin to the previous entries in the Dynasty Warriors saga, the tales revolve around separate narrative arks involving different Chinese factions and their subsequent warlords. With each campaign offering individual, unalike scenarios and events, there could be a long and poignant story to work through, providing you can cope with confusing exposition and comical voice work. A seasoned veteran of the franchise will know exactly what to expect here, the plucky newcomers however, will find themselves lost and out of their depth almost instantaneously due to the verbatim on offer. Fortunately, there is a codex style section to brush up on your potentially embellished ancient lore.
The gameplay holds true to its (repetitive) roots and will not surprise anyone at all versed in the art of mashing buttons. For the uninitiated, Dynasty Warrior games revolve around the concept of territory control; progression is performed by slaughtering swathes of enemies, leaders and bosses. Take out the higher ranked opponents, and the number of enemies in that area should diminish, letting your armada of goons push ever forward. With each map capable of holding upward of a thousand enemy ragdolls in total, in theory, there should never be a dull moment. In practice, things are a little different.
Without any true combos to learn and master, it devolves into alternating between heavy and light attacks depending on which set of animations you want to see at the time. Enemy grunts may as well lie down on the floor upon your approach as they pose little to no purpose apart from raising the addictive KO count in the corner of the screen. Bosses work a little differently as they are essentially the same as you. They can wield large area attacks, relentlessly pursue you and can often swing the tide of battle. The combat opens up slightly here as the new weapon fusion system allows you to bring along another weapon. Aside from the satisfaction/hilarity of beating down wave after wave of enemies with a scroll of paper, their potential elemental affinities can play a pivotal role in boss encounters. Bringing a weapon with an opposing affinity to a boss fight and you’ll likely wipe the floor with them, if you don’t have that luxury, be prepared to learn and master juggling and chaining attacks, especially on the higher difficulties. Whilst the bosses were indeed more intense, they can often break the pace if you let them fall to the ground as your attacks will not register until they spring to their feet. Whilst it would be infuriating if they could do that to you, a lot of the earlier battles entailed the exciting premise of me knocking them over, me flailing fruitlessly and me getting hit once they’d finally dragged themselves up and were ready to get knocked back down, again.
Luckily, that’s not quite as far as the combat extends, there are also ‘super’ moves that will deal tremendous damage; are of course, only available once a certain gauge is filled. Another move/mode, instantly familiar to any other third person hack and slash game being the timed, ‘suddenly I’m way more powerful than I was before, only I can’t sustain it for long’ one, where attacks are more deadly, gauges can be filled and devastating attacks can be unleashed. Once earned, they can be unleashed at any point and can be a lifesaver. Especially with the threat of potentially having to restart the entire battle from scratch.
Repetition is certainly a key aspect to get over when playing Xtreme Legends, and while it may come down to performing the same moves over and over again, you do get constantly rewarded and encouraged by the game. Item drops, including new weapons are frequent and relatively unique, and are often great fun to experiment with, such was the scroll of incomprehensible death I wielded for quite some time. Levels come thick and fast at the start, earning you new abilities to equip before combat; all this is before the frankly ridiculous amount of playable characters on offer which, due to the expansion, takes it up to a staggering 82. Needless to say, if you’re prepared to put the time in, you’ll be rewarded with many, many hours of content.
It’s shift to the PS4 is of course a welcome and progressive step, it’s just a shame it doesn’t at all make use of the extra grunt on offer. Whilst there is a clear leap in framerate performance, the draw distance is under par and enemies that are even slightly out of your remit present a disappointingly muddy blur. The special moves and animations look pretty enough, but it’s nothing you won’t have seen done better before. Hopefully the next full release will start to push the hardware a little further and we’ll see what we all envision from a game like this.
If you have played the original to death, unfortunately, you won’t find all that much new content however. Aside from (almost) humanising the newly playable and frighteningly powerful Lu Bu in his own storyline and adding some additional Fantasy Battles to whet your ‘what if’ palette, there isn’t much to draw you back in. If you did skip Dynasty Warriors 8 however, this is without doubt, the definitive version.
Much like other franchises in the same scenario: Call of Duty, Need for Speed and Assassins Creed to name but a few, Dynasty Warriors have found themselves trapped inside an inescapable, spiralling rut. On the one hand, their formulaic approach to advancement and reticence to major change will appease the hardcore fans, yet it can often split decisions on those all important ‘middle fencers’. Whilst the same basic mechanics will have to still apply for fear of alienating their loyal devotees, evolving to encompass a greater audience must also take precedence for it to realise it’s potential.
