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HP Offering £100 Cash Back on February Micro Server Purchases

Tech

Jim McCarthy

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Feb 5, 2013

HP in the UK is offering £100 cash back on any purchase of a Micro Server in February and £30 back on purchases of extended warranty plans. Read on for details.

HP in the UK is offering £100 cash back on any purchase of a Micro Server in February and £30 back on purchases of extended warranty plans. Here are the deal’s details:

HP ProLiant MicroServer Offer

Claim £100 Cash back with the HP ProLiant MicroServer

Introducing HP ProLiant MicroServer – part of a “Just Right IT” solution for smaller businesses

Outgrowing your business computing solution?

Introducing HP ProLiant MicroServer – part of a “Just Right IT” solution for smaller businesses

Moving to a first server network just got easier! Designed specifically for small and micro businesses, HP ProLiant MicroServer is the key to eliminating the constraints that restrict your business’ growth. Rather than accept technology that’s too small to get the job done or too big to manage efficiently, HP MicroServer provides Just Right IT-with the right feature set in the right form factor at the right price.

HP CarePack

Enhance your MicroServer’s warranty with 3 Years onsite cover with HP Care Pack (details below). If we are unable to rectify a fault over the phone and need to send out an engineer, you will incur no additional charge, plus parts and labour costs are also included.

If you are in the market for a Micro Server and are in the UK, go ahead and check it out!

Review of Guardians of Middle-earth from Monolith Productions

phillvine

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Feb 5, 2013

4

Review of Guardians of Middle-earth from Monolith Productions

Multi-player on-line battle arena (MOBA) games are a bit of a rarity for the PS3 gamer in an age of polished graphics and epic cut-scenes so Guardians of Middle-earth is quite a brave choice, relying on good old RPG statistic driven game play.

TUTORIAL

Even to someone like me with very little experience of the MOBA genre the tutorial explains the basics of how the combat works and the victory conditions very well. Beyond this the game more or less leaves you to figure things out yourself.

There’s a rather comprehensive glossary and decent documentation available in game to help you on the way but one of the most confusing parts of the game is when you first get to customize your classes and equipment where getting stuck in and figuring it out yourself is the best course of action. There is also a very cool “slang” dictionary made up of terms people use on-line.

GUARDIANS

There are 22 guardians available in GOME most of whom are classic characters made popular by the Lord Of The Rings books and film trilogy but there are also a lot of characters from other places in the Middle-earth lore. There’s definitely a good cross-section of characters and there should be enough to ensure everyone has a choice of someone they want.

You can have any of them for 5,000 gold as soon as you have the funds available. This isn’t quite as straight forward as it sounds because 5,000 gold is a fair bit of cash in GOME the best way to earn gold being to level up or complete challenges with different characters both of which will reward you a cash bonus.

The guardians are varied and there is a great selection of unique abilities and varying health, damage and ability stats between guardians which gives a great contrast to the different classes and characters. The same can be said for the abilities and none of the 22 guardians feel “tacked on” or half-baked. Each weak a different six guardians are available as “featured this week” which allows players to use a guardian without having purchased their card.

Getting access to a guardian you want without paying is a great way to try before you buy and ensure you don’t waste your difficult to acquire in game currency when you finally come to purchase them but it is annoying that someone could choose them in a lobby and stop you choosing the same character you might have paid for.

In any match each team can only have the same guardian once and if you’ve spent 5,000 gold on a new guardian it is possible to consistently get added to a game after someone else picks that guardian essentially disabling your guardian of choice.

CUSTOM CLASSES & “BELTS”

A much wiser investment is in the “belts”. Belts apply to any guardian you are using so it seems until you have a good belt setup, ideally consisting of all top-level stuff, belts should really have your attention. At first the custom belts are incredibly confusing but looking back I’m surprised it daunted me even at first as it’s very simple when you get into it.

Each belt has seven slots, each representing two in-game levels, that you can allocate a gem to. Once your guardian reaches an even numbered level the gem you assigned to the corresponding belt slot will have its effect activated. Guardian level two activates slot one, guardian level four activates slot two and so on to a maximum of slot seven and guardian level fourteen.

There are five different coloured gems depending on the effected stats or abilities of the gem, and any colour can go in any slot. Until you start adding “relics” to your belt.

A relic limits you to only specific coloured gems in specific slots but once your guardian reaches the level corresponding to the slot at the end of the relic its ability is activated along with the gems’, and these really are game changers. Once you have your belt set up you can select it with any guardian before going into battle and making sure you have a couple of good belt setups is crucial to success.

The gems and relics really give you something to work for and have kept me coming back to the game, earning cash to upgrade my belt. There is absolutely tons to unlock, unlocking anything takes work, and the potential combinations make for huge replay value, especially for the completionist.

GAME PLAY

Any of the maps will have shrines to take over which reduce the damage all your teams guardians will take and are well worth having. A good struggle to control these is part of any good match on GOME.

Other than shrines towers must be destroyed in order down any lane until you eventually reach the enemy base and achieve victory. A steady stream of soldiers will pour from your barracks and the same for the enemy and you can upgrade your defensive towers and barracks depending on your guardian level.

As you destroy towers and kill enemy soldiers and guardians your own guardian will level up to a maximum of 14 (this has nothing to do with the main “profile rank” that can be found in the menu and starts at 0 every game). If you reach a tower on your own without soldiers the tower will attack you, and it will win, even if you’ve leveled up and the tower hasn’t. It will also attack you if you are in range and attack an enemy guardian.

So when attacking your soldiers are essential cannon fodder and when defending you can keep guardians at bay by positioning in front of towers to make yourself a target and get your own tower to retaliate.

The battle system is a little strange at first but as you proceed deeper into the game it becomes obvious why Monolith made the choices they made. Holding “R2” will attack continuously and to unleash your powers you simply press the corresponding face button.

Although a basic battle system it really just frees you up so you can concentrate on positioning, taking over shrines and upgrading your own defenses and barracks. Usually this will lead to tactical game play and more or less eliminates the possibility the game will just become a very basic Lord Of The Rings team death match, although at times guardians do just move back and forth attempting to get towers to shoot at enemies, especially when the AI is in control.

MATCHMAKING & GAME MODES

There is actually only one game mode in GOME and you can choose whether it’s three lane or single lane. The three lane games are the standards and are a much more balanced experience so this is definitely where you want to be.

The standard on-line games have five players on each team and if there aren’t enough players the game adds AI to occupy any remaining spaces. The only problem with the AI substitutes is that usually someone backs out just before the game starts and gets replaced with AI which leaves that team at a disadvantage.

To answer this “Elite Battlegrounds” are unlocked once you reach profile level two which make the game up of only human player regardless of wait time. The wait times are longer than “normal” matches, roughly three minutes gets you into a lobby rather than about the two minute mark to start playing.

You can also play a skirmish game with any combination of AI or real players with a choice of difficulty for the AI as well. The punishment for playing against AI in this way is a lot less XP, however it does still contribute to your overall profile rank so if you want an easy life and are prepared to accept the low XP you can play this way.

The AI is actually very good and doesn’t ruin the game just because one player isn’t there but don’t get tempted (like I did) and stay off-line against the AI for too long because you’ll just eventually realize how much XP you could’ve had and that the on-line isn’t really that different or intimidating anyway.

Matchmaking is slow but once you’re in a game it can last a long time (especially without the twenty minute timer), lag is rare and disconnects are not really an issue.

GRAPHICS

The graphic styling represents Middle-earth well but both the character and map design lend themselves to substance far more than style. With the exception of a handful of the abilities there isn’t anything likely to wow anybody but with a game of this style functionality needs to take priority and Monolith did just that.

Don’t get me wrong it doesn’t look bad at all, but it’s no AAA title. That is apart from the opening cut scene, which is absolutely superb. It looks great and there is a load of over-the-top guardian fighting so definitely don’t skip it at least the first time.

SOUNDS

The sound effects are good and again adhere to the lore of Middle-earth whilst providing notifications when you are targeted by towers along with other notifications announced by a lovely sounding female voice-over. The guardian specific sound effects are varied enough that even between Legolas and Haldir the noises their bows make are noticeably different.

With clear, concise and easy to hear information from the voice-over Monolith again seem to have aimed for functionality and hit it, doing so while keeping the iconic LOTR sound effects in place is well achieved.

CONCLUSION

A reasonable looking and deep MOBA makes a rare addition to the PS3 and I’m glad I gave it some time to get going. Despite feeling very slow at times it’s well worth your time to get to know it and just at least try it. Getting into the customization is rewarding and will be the addictive hook that keeps you coming back for more time and time again. For LOTR and strategy gaming fans alike, GOME is a definite success.

One thing that must be remembered is that this is a PSN/XBOX LIVE title. Priced at 1,200 Microsoft Points or £11.99 on the PSN (or free for Playstation Plus members) this is one of the best and cheapest network titles available and in some respects is worth thinking of as a full title. Lord Of The Rings: Guardians Of Middle-earth is available now on PSN and XBOX LIVE and is worth every penny, especially if you’re a Playstation Plus member!

Sky take another step forward in keeping kids safe online

Andrew Edney

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Feb 5, 2013

0

Today Sky announced that it is committed to helping parents better control the content their children can access both in and out of the home, by introducing network-level protection.

Sky already offers PIN protection for Sky TV, and free parental controls where certain types of websites can be blocked so that kids don’t accidentally stumble across unsuitable content while surfing the web. Now Sky have now also committed to offering a whole-home solution to their 4 million broadband customers. Including reporting tools for parents so they will know each and every time any changes have been made to the settings they’ve applied, to ensure they are happy with the settings at all times.

This is what Lyssa McGowan posted on the Sky blog:

Protecting children from inappropriate content in the digital world is something Sky has always taken extremely seriously. In the connected world, it’s never been easier to access a wealth of information and entertainment, but, at the same time, it’s also presented a number of challenges in terms of providing a safe and enjoyable environment for kids. It’s an issue which parents are understandably concerned about and which has quite rightly taken its place high up the political agenda.

Back in September of last year I outlined on this blog some of the positive steps Sky had taken to give parents more tools to better control the content their children could access both in and out of home.

This includes adding PIN protection to Sky TV, so certain programmes and even entire genres of channels can be locked behind a PIN, or even hidden from the electronic programme guide altogether. Online, we offer free parental controls where certain types of websites can be blocked so that kids don’t accidentally stumble across unsuitable content while surfing the web. And last year, we began presenting customers with an automatic – or ‘active’ – choice to install parental controls when they first access the internet through their Sky Broadband connection.

In fact, Sky went even further, becoming the first broadband provider to pre-tick the ‘yes’ button – in other words, setting up parental controls became the default option, only avoidable if a customer actively chose not to use them. We also became the first public WiFi provider to filter out access to adult websites as standard across our more than 16,000 WiFi zones. So whether in cafes, shopping centres or train stations – places where parental supervision can’t be assumed – we’ve made sure children can’t inadvertently access inappropriate content over Sky’s public network.

But back in September, I made the point that technology and online behaviours don’t stand still, and neither, therefore, could our efforts to keep innovating to help Sky families ensure they feel safe when enjoying our broadband service.

So while computer-based parental controls are important tools for parents, on their own they are not sufficient in protecting kids who are accessing the net through a growing range of devices such as games consoles, tablets and smartphones.

That’s why we’ve been investigating ways to help provide a ‘whole-home’ solution in which web content can be filtered out not by a particular device, but at a household-level so that parents can define the type of access they want blocked and the filtering will apply across all connected devices in the home.

And I’m delighted to be able to confirm that Sky has committed to offering a whole-home solution to all of our more than 4 million broadband customers. We will also introduce reporting tools to parents so they will know each and every time any changes have been made to the settings they’ve applied, to ensure they are happy with the settings at all times. We will roll out this technology later on this year. This is a significant step and one which will give parents even more power to keep their kids safe online. I’m particularly pleased to be able to make this commitment on Safer Internet Day, which is an initiative that Sky fully supports.

Dyson Unveils Airblade Tap That Really Blows

Gadgets
News

Chris Hare

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Feb 5, 2013

0

Dyson, the British engineering group behind the bagless vacuum cleaner and the ‘airblade’ dryer, has unveiled a new device that combines a hot and cold water tap with a hand dryer.

The Airblade Tap cuts out the need to go to a separate hand drying area as the system washes a person’s hands, and then dries them in 12 seconds right at the tap.

Whilst the Airblade Tap is not cheap at £1,000, the firm’s founder, Sir James Dyson, feels that it offers savings over separate hot air dryers and towel dispensers in public bathrooms.

The machine uses a totally redesigned Dyson digital motor placed underneath the sink, along with an air filter and sound-silencing equipment.

A pipe then carries the water, electrics and the air up to the tap, where a stainless steel head unit delivers the water flow and unheated air jets out at 430mph (692 km/h).

Both the water and air streams are sensor operated so there are no taps or buttons to touch. The infrared sensors emit light to pinpoint the position of a person’s hands, and then computer circuitry co-ordinates the response of water or air “without long delays”.

After washing, the system is claimed to dry hands in 12 seconds, compared with 43 seconds for a conventional wall-mounted dryer.

Dyson also feel that there is a hygiene and safety benefit to the system.

“The conventional way to wash and dry hands is too slow. Hand drying facilities are often not located near a sink, and hand dryers can take up to 43 seconds, so people can give up. But damp hands spread up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands,” said Dyson on its website.

“There’s no need to leave the sink to use the Dyson Airblade tap hand dryer and it dries hands in 12 seconds.”

Sir James Dyson added: “In washrooms using conventional taps, you’ll need to move to a separate hand drying area, dripping water on the floors as you go. It’s why we’ve developed a tap with our hand drying technology in it.”

Dyson have calculated that after the upfront cost, the Airblade Tap costs £48 per year to run, compared with an estimated £1,460 for a paper towel dispenser (involving re-stocking and disposal).

The firm says that the tap costs up to 69% less to run per year than other hand dryers, and it can also save on space in washrooms.

Dyson’s existing Airblade hand dryer range have proved a huge success since they launched in 2006, and the devices are now installed at more than 250,000 locations around the world.

But some commentators believe that the upfront cost of the Airblade Tap may put some people off.

Stuff magazine news editor Will Dunn said that the £1,000 price may mean only businesses wanting premium design will take the plunge.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Battle Arena Invites Fans to Pick their Champion in Weekly Match-ups

Andrew Edney

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Feb 5, 2013

0

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announce the details – and an invitation – to the ultimate battle of superhero supremacy for the upcoming fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

For the next 10 weeks, the roster of legendary DC Comics characters will enter the Injustice Battle Arena. Each week, a new pair of challengers will enter the arena, as fans are given the opportunity to vote on who they believe would come out as champion.

Every Monday, combatants will be revealed in weekly match-up videos. Detailing the skills, attributes and technology of the week’s competing DC Comics warriors, the videos also include man-on-the-street and celebrity experts explaining which character in the battle has earned their vote.

All votes and submissions must be submitted by Thursday night, and the results will be announced in a final fight video, showing the all-out battles and ultimate victor of that week’s match-up.

The teaser video that explains the campaign can be watched by clicking on the following link:

Fans can also view the first match-up video of the campaign here:

For participating in these show-downs, fans in the UK will be rewarded with an Injustice avatar item when they register on the site and an exciting piece of DLC content when they first vote. Voice your opinion via Facebook, YouTube or Twitter and join the debate!

To vote on each week’s battle, visit: injustice.dccomics.com

Injustice: Gods Among Us is an all-new game in development by award-winning NetherRealm Studios, creators of the definitive fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat. The title debuts a bold new fighting game franchise that introduces a deep, original story featuring a large cast of favourite DC Comics icons such as Batman, Green Arrow, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Solomon Grundy, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and many others.

Set in a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred, players will experience heroes and villains engaging in epic battles on a massive scale.

For more information on the game, visit www.injustice.com.

Dell Announces Deal to Go Private

News

Jim McCarthy

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Feb 5, 2013

0

Dell today confirmed a plan to become a privately owned company, with investments from Silver Lake and Microsoft providing the deal financing. Dell shareholders will see a premium over yesterday’s closing price; read on for details.

Rumors have been swirling for weeks, suggesting that Dell might go private in order to give it the right conditions to turn the company around. Today, Dell confirmed those rumors, disclosing that the CEO and founder, Michael Dell, had partnered with private equity firm Silver Lake to make an offer to buy Dell for $24.4 billion, a premium of 25% over the January 11th closing price. Dell will entertain other potential offers for a period of 45 days, and assuming that no better offers are received, Silver Lake and Michael Dell will pool resources and purchase the outstanding stock, taking Dell private. Microsoft also is participating, extending a $2 billion loan to the group, and several major banks are also extending debt financing support to pull the deal off. Mr. Dell is trying to transform Dell into an “…integrated and diversified global IT solutions provider…”. He believes that ownership by Silver Lake will allow management to provide value now for current shareholders, as well as to provide the time and focus required to transform from a hardware-centric operation to a services-heavy one. Here is the press release:

Dell Enters Into Agreement to Be Acquired By Michael Dell and Silver Lake

Date : 2/5/2013

Round Rock, Texas

Dell stockholders to receive $13.65 per share in cash

Transaction valued at approximately $24.4 billion

Transaction implies a 37 percent premium over the average closing share price during the previous 90 calendar days ending Jan. 11, 2013

Dell Inc. today announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement under which Michael Dell, Dell’s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in partnership with global technology investment firm Silver Lake, will acquire Dell.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dell stockholders will receive $13.65 in cash for each share of Dell common stock they hold, in a transaction valued at approximately $24.4 billion. The price represents a premium of 25 percent over Dell’s closing share price of $10.88 on Jan. 11, 2013, the last trading day before rumors of a possible going-private transaction were first published; a premium of approximately 35 percent over Dell’s enterprise value as of Jan. 11, 2013; and a premium of approximately 37 percent over the average closing share price during the previous 90 calendar days ending Jan. 11, 2013. The buyers will acquire for cash all of the outstanding shares of Dell not held by Mr. Dell and certain other members of management.

The Dell Board of Directors acting on the recommendation of a special committee of independent directors unanimously approved a merger agreement under which Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners will acquire Dell and take the company private subject to a number of conditions, including a vote of the unaffiliated stockholders. Mr. Dell recused himself from all Board discussions and from the Board vote regarding the transaction.

A Special Committee was formed after Mr. Dell first approached Dell’s Board of Directors in August 2012 with an interest in taking the company private. Led by Lead Director Alex Mandl, the Special Committee retained independent financial and legal advisors J.P. Morgan and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP to advise the Special Committee with respect to its consideration of strategic alternatives, the acquisition proposal and the subsequent negotiation of the merger agreement.
The Special Committee also engaged a leading management consulting firm to conduct an independent analysis, including a review of strategic alternatives for Dell and opportunities for the company as a public entity, and thereafter engaged Evercore Partners.

The merger agreement provides for a so-called “go-shop” period, during which the Special Committee – with the assistance of Evercore Partners – will actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations with parties that offer alternative proposals. The initial go-shop period is 45 days. Following that period, the Special Committee will be permitted to continue discussions and enter into or recommend a transaction with any person or group that submitted a qualifying proposal during the 45-day period. A successful competing bidder who makes a qualifying proposal during the initial go-shop period would bear a $180 million (less than 1 percent) termination fee. For a competing bidder who did not qualify during the initial go-shop period, the termination fee would be $450 million.

Mr. Mandl, lead director of Dell’s Board of Directors, said: “The Special Committee and its advisors conducted a disciplined and independent process intended to ensure the best outcome for shareholders. Importantly, the go-shop process provides a real opportunity to determine if there are alternatives superior to the present offer from Mr. Dell and Silver Lake.”

Mr. Dell said: “I believe this transaction will open an exciting new chapter for Dell, our customers and team members. We can deliver immediate value to stockholders, while we continue the execution of our long-term strategy and focus on delivering best-in-class solutions to our customers as a private enterprise. Dell has made solid progress executing this strategy over the past four years, but we recognize that it will still take more time, investment and patience, and I believe our efforts will be better supported by partnering with Silver Lake in our shared vision. I am committed to this journey and I have put a substantial amount of my own capital at risk together with Silver Lake, a world-class investor with an outstanding reputation. We are committed to delivering an unmatched customer experience and excited to pursue the path ahead.”

“Michael Dell is a true visionary and one of the preeminent leaders of the global technology industry,” said Egon Durban, a Silver Lake Managing Partner. “Silver Lake is looking forward to partnering with him, the talented management team at Dell and the investor group to innovate, invest in long-term growth initiatives and accelerate the company’s transformation strategy to become an integrated and diversified global IT solutions provider.”

Following completion of the transaction, Mr. Dell, who owns approximately 14 percent of Dell’s common shares, will continue to lead the company as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and will maintain a significant equity investment in Dell by contributing his shares of Dell to the new company, as well as making a substantial additional cash investment. Dell will continue to be headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.

The transaction will be financed through a combination of cash and equity contributed by Mr. Dell, cash funded by investment funds affiliated with Silver Lake, cash invested by MSD Capital, L.P., a $2 billion loan from Microsoft, rollover of existing debt, as well as debt financing that has been committed by BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Credit Suisse and RBC Capital Markets (in alphabetical order), and cash on hand. There is no financing condition.

The transaction is subject to other customary conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals, in addition to the Dell stockholder approvals described above. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the second quarter of Dell’s FY2014.

For further information regarding all terms and conditions contained in the definitive merger agreement, please see Dell’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed in connection with this transaction.

J.P. Morgan and Evercore Partners are acting as financial advisors and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Special Committee of Dell’s Board of Directors. Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as financial advisor and Hogan Lovells US LLP is acting as legal advisor to Dell. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is acting as legal advisor to Mr. Dell. BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Credit Suisse, and RBC Capital Markets (in alphabetical order) are acting as financial advisors to Silver Lake, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal advisor to Silver Lake.

Time will tell if the strategy works; it sounds like the strategy that HP has been trying to implement for some time now. We’ll keep you posted on future developments. Dell was trading at $13.88, up $0.11 or 0.82%, at 1110 Eastern today on the news.

Dell Press Release Dell Real-Time NASDAQ Quote

Skylanders Swap Force Preview: Mix and match with New Detachable Toys

Chris Hare

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Feb 5, 2013

0

Skylanders Swap Force Preview: Mix and match with New Detachable Toys

Skylanders Swap Force is the next title in the hugely popular Skylanders series, and one can’t help but think this is a pretty big year for the toys-to-life franchise – especially with challenger Disney Infinity on the horizon.

But if this sequel has shown anything, though, it’s that developer Vicarious Visions aren’t taking anything for granted.

Introducing a brand new inventive type of Skylander – which requires players to own a newer and more technologically advanced portal – Swap Force seems intent on evolving the gameplay of the series more significantly than Skylanders Giants did.

Meet the Swap Force characters

Swap Force introduces 16 new ‘Swap Force’ characters – and as the name implies, the twist involves swapping and combining different parts to create new variations of Skylanders.

Each Swap Force character comes with a detachable top and bottom half which will allow players to mix and match different abilities. For instance, Washbuckler – a new water type – is an octopus pirate who can attack with a cutlass, tentacles or ink.

However, he’s also fairly slow. On the other hand, Magnacharge – a tech type built of magnets – is nimble thanks to his speed wheel.

By taking the top half of Washbuckler and combining it with the bottom half of Magnacharge, you get Washcharge – a hybrid water/tech Skylander that has all of the attacks of Washbuckler but the speed and agility of Magnacharge.

There are a total of 256 different combinations from mixing all of the Swap Force Skylanders.

An upgraded Portal of Power

However, the new Swap Force Skylanders come at a cost, as they’re only compatible with a new, prettier-looking portal.

All of the existing Skylanders toys are compatible with the upgraded portal, but Swap Force cannot be played with the older model. All game bundles will come with the new portal.

Mixing things up with swap zones

In the past, Skylanders levels have been littered with bonus areas inaccessible unless you had a Skylander of an elemental type. Having a Trigger Happy or Drobot, for example, grants you access to all tech areas. Swap Force adds a new layer to that concept with swap zones.

Each bottom half of a Swap Force character will come with one of eight added abilities, which they can use to reach a unique gameplay area.

Activating a ‘rocket zone’ lets a rocket-powered Skylander engage in a special segment where it must fly through a series of rings before time runs out. Elsewhere, Washbuckler has the ability to climb, while Magnacharge’s pace allows him to tackle ‘speed zones’.

The new jump mechanic
The other significant evolution to the core gameplay is that now Skylanders can jump. This applies to all characters, old and new, but Vicarious Visions are being coy about how much it will affect level design.

How will it fare against Disney Infinity?

As for the threat of Disney Infinity, Vicarious Visions don’t appear too concerned, and is instead more focused on doing its own thing.

“If you have a good idea there will be competition, and at the end of the day, consumers benefit from that,” Bala stated.

There’s no reason to doubt that from what we were shown. Swap Force still exudes the same charm its predecessors boasted, but on both an artistic and technical level, it looks better and more vibrant than ever. On top of the 16 Swap Force characters, there will also be another 16 core Skylanders available.

A lot of effort is going into the franchise’s third retail title, and it’s building on what made Skylanders great in the first place. Series fans can expect another enjoyable and magical-feeling game when Swap Force hits store shelves later this year.

Crusader Kings II : The Old Gods expansion announced

Gaming
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2013

0

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio, today announced a new expansion to the world of Crusader Kings II, the critically acclaimed RPG strategy title.

The forthcoming expansion, titled Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods, will add a number of widely requested features to the game, including the ability to play as a Pagan or Zoroastrian ruler, expanding empires through war, pillaging, and ruthless brutality. Players will also be able to begin their in-game reign as far back as the year 867 AD, making The Old Gods officially the Paradox title that spans the longest period in history.

In the year 867 the Old Gods were still mighty. In England, the Raven Banner flew as the Great Heathen Army pillaged its way across the land, deposing kings and establishing the Danelaw. In the East, Rurik founded the state of Russia, and in the forests and steppes of central Europe, pagan tribes were on the move.

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods lets players step into the boots of a pagan chieftain, approaching the brutal backstabbing world of Crusader Kings through invasion, adventure, and holy war.

Some of the features include:

Religious Turmoil: Restore the Old Gods to prominence through sacrifice and divination, or force the pagans to convert through new missionary missions
Earlier start: 200 years of more gameplay with the special 867 AD bookmark
Rebels With a Cause: Rebels are no longer faceless rabble, but led by defined characters with specific agendas
Adventurers: Watch as landless younger sons and charismatic warriors raise armies
Pillage and Prosper: Loot provinces and burn cities to the ground – lest your warlike people grow angry during extended peacetime!
Heathens: Convert them or play as them and survive, reforming your faith to stand the test of time
Prepared Invasions: Declare your intent to invade a rich target, and watch adventurers and opportunists flock to your banner.
Unholy UI: A new pagan interface is available alongside all-new events, decisions, and units

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods is scheduled to release in Q2 2013.

App Update: WordPress for iOS updated to version 3.4

Apple

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2013

2

The WordPress app for the iPhone and iPad has been updated to version 3.4.

It’s easy to manage your WordPress blog or site from your iOS device. With WordPress for iOS, you can moderate comments, create or edit posts and pages, and add images or videos with ease. All you need is a WordPress.com blog or a self-hosted WordPress.org site running 2.9.2 or higher.

What’s New in Version 3.4

New: Notifications for WordPress.com blogs and self-hosted with the Jetpack plugin.
★ Get Push Notifications for everything happening on your blog.
★ View, moderate, and reply to Comments from one screen – independent of blog.
★ View comment threads and easily access the original post.
★ Know about new Notifications instantly regardless of where you are in the app.
★ Set Push Notification settings for each notification type, and select which blogs you want to receive notifications on in the Settings panel.
★ WordPress.com blogs: get notifications about Likes, Reblogs, Follows, and Badges/Stats Highlights.
This release also includes:
• Numerous stability fixes.

Download WordPress for iOS from the Apple App Store now.

App Update: LinkedIn for iOS updated to version 5.1.7

Apple

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2013

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The LinkedIn app for iOS has been updated to version 5.1.7.

Get on-the-go access to your professional network with LinkedIn for iPhone & iPad. Find and connect with more than 150M members worldwide, read the latest industry news, keep up-to-date with your groups, and share content with your network from anywhere.

What’s New in Version 5.1.7

We’ve made efforts to improve app quality and performance for iPhone by fixing bugs and crashes
The LinkedIn app for iPhone and iPad named one of the best iOS apps of 2012 by iTunes

Download LinkedIn for iOS from the Apple App Store.

App Update: Skype for iPad updated to version 4.5 bringing automatic reconnection of dropped calls

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2013

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The Skype app for the Apple iPad has been updated to version 4.5 bringing with it automatic reconnection of dropped calls.

What’s New in Version 4.5

✓ Skype automatically reconnects a dropped call when your wifi or mobile network reception is poor
✓ Add money to your Skype account directly from the app to send SMS or call mobiles and landlines worldwide. Currently available in United States, United Kingdom, France, Sweden and Estonia.
✓ A simple swipe from the left of the screen opens your recent conversations in a new sidebar
✓ General fixes
One-to-one chats now appear in the correct order

Download Skype for the iPad from the Apple App Store.

Silent Hunter Online 2nd developer diary video released

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2013

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Silent Hunter Online is a free-to-play strategy simulation game from Ubisoft in which you command your own flotilla of submarines.

Silent Hunter Online sees the return of the lovingly and painstakingly recreated array of historically accurate submarines that brought fame to the franchise, and invites players to command them online in new ways. At the heart of the game is “the Battle of the Atlantic”, an innovative and dynamic campaign in which individual successes impact all other players through asynchronous gameplay. For the first time in the Silent Hunter series, players will be able to play every mission in real-time and in co-op, by teaming up online to form a Wolfpack and operating as a single unit towards joint goals and server-wide missions.

Here is the 2nd developer diary to watch:

What do you think? Are you going to play it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Review: DmC – Devil May Cry

Indra Wignall

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Feb 4, 2013

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A silver haired man from Capcom hacked, slashed and brooded his way on to our consoles in 2001 and this year he made a return, after a bit of a makeover. Dante has changed the way he looks, but how does the rest of DmC stand up against the Devil May Cry series?

One of the most notable things about the Devil May Cry series is the array of weapons at Dante’s disposal and these could be confusing at first. Thankfully DmC slowly introduces these one at time and shows you how to use them and not in a way that screams tutorial in your face. Each time you acquire a new weapon you are taken to a different plane in which to you need to use it to traverse obstacles or fight new enemies. This technique works well, teaching without condescending and slowly combining the various weapons and creating a learning curve.

There was a worry at first that Ninja Theory, a small and fairly young company from Cambridge, wouldn’t be able to create a game that could handle such complex weapons and fight systems, however DmC is doing just fine. With a helping hand from Capcom the game plays as any other before it and the fights are still varied and complex. As you progress the enemies get harder but the ones you already know don’t just lie down at the flash of a sword. The mix of moves, customisation and varying ways to kill enemies really adds to the re-playability of DmC, as well as the famous scoring system which still gives a small thrill when the big S’ flash up on screen.

Cut scenes flow effortlessly into gameplay and are plentyful enough to carry the story forward, but not so numerous that the game turns into a film you get to interactive with every so often. The story here certainly has a greater role in the game than the original and although the base story is there, it’s very much like an adaptation. Think along the lines of Shakespeare performed via the media of dance. DmC has a more modern and Western storyline too with the evil demons also being the heads of multinational companies in a conspiracy David Icke would be proud of. However, it works. The story is certainly not on the scale of Ninja Theory’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West but it is more integral to the game than its previous incarnation’s.

After enjoying the original games it was easy to have reservations about a reboot, many series overhauls have been critically slated. DmC however is different; this works. The bones of the game are still very similar but the flesh creates a whole new animal. This Dante is different though, this time he’s louder with much more of an attitude and some points in the game you aren’t quite sure whether to high-five him or punch him. King of the one-liners and puns he can get a little annoying at times, especially if you get stuck on a section and have to listen to the same corny lines over and over.

The negatives of this game are certainly the minor points though and as a whole Ninja Theory have done a really good job on DmC. If you were a fan of the original games, or simply a newcomer, DmC is a definitely one to pick up. Unless you’re offended by changing hair colour, of course.

DmC: Devil May Cry is available now for XBOX 360, PS3 and PC.

evasi0n iOS 6.x Jailbreak available now

Apple

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2013

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A new jailbreak for iOS devices is available now and its called evasi0n.

Evasi0n is an iOS 6.1 jailbreak which supports the iPhone 5, 4S, 4, 3GS, iPod Touch 4th generation and 5th generation and both the iPad Mini and iPad 3rd & 4th generation.

Remember if you are going to use this jailbreak make sure you backup your device before hand!

Learn more and download from the evasi0n website.