It's time for me to take a break indefinitely. Close to 70 reviews has been posted and I have simply run out of gadgets for reviewing. I want to thank you all for the past few months. It's been fun really. Maybe sometime in the future I'll return with more reviews.
During these 5½ months I've had20 917 page views. About 12000 unique visits. Mostly Swedes and Americans.
PlayStation Network is currently having a big sale on different games for the PSP and PlayStation Vita. Down below you'll see a list of the games thats currently have a reduced price. Games marked with a * is compatible with the PlayStation Vita.
You can now for instance enjoy the Rockstar classics Manhunt 2 and The Warriors for the price of only $10 or 70SEK each.
101-in-1 Megamix*
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
Ace Combat Joint Assault*
ARMORED CORE 3 Portable*
ARMORED CORE LAST RAVEN Portable*
ARMORED CORE SILENT LINE Portable*
Army of TWO: The 40th Day
Asphalt : Urban GT 2*
Bakugan: Defenders of The Core*
Ben 10: Protector of Earth*
BEN10 ALIEN FORCE: VILGAX ATTACKS*
BIGS 2*
BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2*
Blazeblue Calamity Trigger Portable*
BLOOD BOWL*
Brothers In Arms D-Day*
Castle Rustle*
Chessmaster: The Art Of Learning*
Corpse Party*
Cover Girl*
Crystal Mines*
Dante’s Inferno
Despicable Me*
Driver 76*
DYNASTY WARRIORS*
DYNASTY WARRIORS VOL.2*
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce*
FIFA 11
Free Running*
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2*
Gladiator Begins*
GODS EATER BURST*
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus*
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony*
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K9*
Manhunt 2*
METAL SLUG XX*
Michael Jackson The Experience*
MYST*
MYTRAN WARS*
Need For Speed Most Wanted 5-1-0
NEOGEO HEROES -Ultimate Shooting-*
Prince of Persia Rival Swords*
Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands*
Prince of Persia: Revelations*
Pro Cycling 2009-Tour de France*
Pro Cycling 2010 – Tour de France*
Rugby League Challenge*
Samurai Warriors: State Of War*
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona Full Game*
Splinter Cell Essentials*
Street Riders*
The Red Star
THE WARRIORS*
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10
TOM CLANCY GHOST RECON PREDATOR
TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND*
Warriors Orochi*
Warriors Orochi 2*
Ys I & II Chronicles*
Ys SEVEN*
Ys: The Oath in Felghana*
Mass Effect 3 is the follow-up to the popular 2010 Mass Effect 2. Return to the role of Commander Shephard, and assemble civilizations of the galaxy to dispatch one final mission to fight back the invading forces and save the Earth from total destruction. Explore the rich, branching storyline with multiple endings that are shaped by your choices and actions during gameplay. Determine how events will play out, which planets to investigate and with whom to form alliances as you fight to eliminate the Reaper threat. Engage in epic sci-fi combat on many worlds across the galaxy as you fight to take back the Earth before it's too late.
The Good
The Graphics. Incredible graphics!! Very detailed and great looking environments which runs incredibly smoothly (if you got a decent computer) This is the best looking part of the 3.
The Gameplay. The controls are amazing. Everything runs smoothly and logical. I can't even understand why I played Mass Effect 1 on a console. Mouse and keyboard rules it all.
The sounds and music. Intense battlesounds combined with a kickass soundtrack by the well known composer Clint Mansell (composer of Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler and more)
Listen to a clip of the music down below.
The Story. Bioware is known for their incredible storytelling. The Mass Effect series story has without any doubt the best story ever made in a game. Hell, it would have made an incredible movie as well. It will get you so hooked that you simply just can't stop playing the it.
The lasting appeal. A lot can be done in Mass Effect 3. Besides the story missions you have a lot of side missions to solve. A lot of exploring is at hand as well. You can find different equipment and weapons along all the missions you encounter as well as scanning new exciting planets. New to Mass Effect 3 is that you can now play multiplayer features as well. DLC's will also be released, so the game will last even longer.
The missions. A lot of variety. Even the side missions are incredible well made and is equally fun as the story missions. Generally side missions in games are just simple task to solve. However the side missions in Mass Effect 3 is so well made that you stop and think that maybe you went on a story mission by accident.
Porting you character. If you played Mass Effect 1 and 2 and still got the save left you can use the character through out the series. This will give you some bonuses and the story will adjust according to your character you've used in the earlier parts. So cool!!
The Bad
There are nothing bad to say about Mass Effect 3. It's simply perfect.
Conclusion
Ok here it goes..... Mass Effect 3 is the best game I've ever played during my 33 years of gaming. There is no game that beats the intensity, the fun, the satisfaction you get, the coolness, the drama, the action, the story, the music, the sounds, the characters, the missions, the gameplay, the intrigue and the awesomeness that Mass Effect 3 delivers. I can't describe to you all the joy I get/got of playing it. You'll simply have to play it for yourself starting with the 1st part. Trust me you'll get the best experience a computer/videogame can give you. Thanks a lot Bioware for making the best game ever made! You guys have created history!
Take a look at the trailer down below before you go!!
So finally the new iPad has been revealed along with a new Apple TV.
Here are the specs for the new iPad. (Warning! A lot of Technobabble coming up)
The New iPad
* Retina display
* 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
* 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi)
* Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
* Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
* Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics
* 5-megapixel iSight camera
* Autofocus
* Tap to focus
* Face detection in still images
* Video recording, HD (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
* Video stabilization
* FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second
* Photo and video geotagging
* Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
* Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
* Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network
* Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
* 30-pin dock connector port
* 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
* Built-in speaker
* Microphone
* Micro-SIM card tray
* AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) at 720p
* AirPlay video streaming to Apple TV (3rd generation) at up to 1080p and Apple TV (2nd generation) at up to 720p
* Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
* Video out support at 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cable sold separately)
* Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 ith AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
The New Apple TV
Looks like the 2nd gen Apple TV. However, you can now play 1080p movies on the Apple TV.
iCloud is now working with the Apple TV as well. With iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, or PC. And vice versa. iCloud also stores your photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices4 — including your HDTV via Apple TV. It’s the easiest way to get instant access to your content, no matter which device you’re using.
iOS 5.1 is here. Finally we can delete those embarrassing photos at photo stream. Phew. Japan gets lucky while Siri now works with the Japanese language. Other then that not much to cheer for. I would love to see Siri working in more languages. Hopefully we'll get it in a near future.
F1 2011 for PlayStation Vita features all the official teams, drivers and circuits from the thrilling 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. Tuned for portable play, get your Formula One fix by entering individual Grand Prix, and Time Trials or compete for motorsport’s ultimate prize across a full season. Perfect for on-the-move gaming, an additional extensive challenge modes puts your skills to the test with a range of quick-fire events featuring checkpoint, gate and overtaking objectives.
The Good
The Gameplay. It's fast and extremely intense. You'll need 100% focus on every move your make. A mistake can have an disastrous outcome.
Skill options. You have lot of choices how the game should behave. Auto gearing, assisted breaks, assisted steering, damage to the cars, penalties and much more. Everyone will find a decent skill level that will fit their needs.
The race tracks. All the official tracks are included in the game.
The drivers. All the official drivers are included in the game as well. So if you always wanted to win over Sebastian Vettel then this is the game for you.
The graphics. It's pretty good. Fast and lifelike with a lot happening on the screen.
The sound. Nice F1 engine sounds combined with different environmental sounds. You even have a coach that will talk to you through a com radio how well you're performing during the races. Really cool.
The lasting appeal. Quick race, Time trial, Multiplayer and Career mode. The Career mode is huge and will keep you going for a lot of hours.
The Bad
The graphics. Yes I know, I did put the graphics as a good thing. However, it's not the best looking game out there. They could've worked more on the details of the game.
Playing online. Sadly you can only play against 4 (maximum) players online.
Conclusion
When I was a kid I used to love playing the Microprose F1 games. I loved the intense battles against other drivers and the realism of damaging the car and more. F1 2011 PlayStation Vita version brings back that joy again. The career feature will get you hooked right away. I play it all the time now. So all you F1 and racing fans this game might be worth looking into. With a long lasting appeal and fast action the F1 2011 PlayStation Vita gets the score:
FIFA Football on PS Vita gives you the same physics-based, data driven technology that powers FIFA gameplay on PlayStation3. Take part in eight different game modes, including 11 vs. 11, Tournament Mode with over 50 real-world competitions, a full in-depth Career Mode, and compete online with Head-to-Head matches against your friends and gamers around the world and here are my thoughts:
The Good
The graphics. Incredible looking graphics. Almost the same as on the PS3.
The sound. Same brilliant commentators and incredible audience sounds.
The game modes. Career Mode, Exhibition, Head to head, Create custom league, Virtual pro, they are all there just like in the PS3 version. Enough to keep you going until the next release.
The controls. In FIFA Football you will be able to use the rear touchpad for shooting. You can also use the touchscreen during the matches. Touch the player you want to pass on the screen. During freekicks and penalties you can also swipe on the screen where you want the ball to go. Great fun and works great.
The Bad
Based on FIFA 11. I shouldn't really complain to much about this matter but if your're used to play FIFA 12 you will miss the new defending system. This feature was a great highlight on FIFA 12 and it would've been awesome if it was implanted to the Vita version.
Graphical hickups. Sometimes during matches you might experience some hickups. The game freezes very shortly. Fortunately this happens very seldom.
Passing using the touchscreen. It gets really messy when using the touchpad and the analog controls at the same time.
The download version. It occupies 3 GB of memory. So if you only got a 4 GB memory card..... you need buy another one.
Online pass. In order to play FIFA Football online you'll need to buy an online pass in addition to the game itself.
Conclusion
Portable gaming is getting really interesting. Thanks to FIFA Football on Vita a dream of mine is coming true. I can now play the FIFA series wherever I'm at the way it should be experienced. Not like a boring game on a mobile phone. FIFA Football will keep you going for a long time and if you get tired of all the game modes there's the option of playing against other players online. So for all the football fans out there ..... pick up one copy of FIFA Football right away and hit the field
Koss iPorta Pro headphones high quality sound set sound performance and comfort standards for portable personal listening worldwide when first introduced in 1984. Since then, to the delight of devout iPorta Pro enthusiasts, Koss has preserved the original design (only the colors are a bit different on this version) and performance that made the Porta Pro a portable music icon and here are my thoughts:
The Good
The sound quality. iPorta Pro sound the same as the original Porta Pro. Very wide and balanced sound with a kick ass bass. These phones brings new life to your devices.
The sound quality during calls. They sound ok during calls as well, despite that they don't have any noise reduction built in.
The button. There's a play/pause and answer button located on the chord.
The design. I have always loved the classic design Koss porta uses. iPorta pro is no exception, the look awesome.
The warranty. Limited Lifetime Warranty.
The price. $37 or 186 SEK. For such quality no one should hesitate of getting a pair.
The Bad
No volume buttons. Sadly this is the biggest disadvantage with the Koss iPorta Pro. You really want to adjust the volume without using your device.
Fragile. As with all the Porta Pros, the headphones are extremely fragile. You'll have to be careful.
The chord. Very thin. Very easy to damage or break. Be careful!
Conclusion
Still going strong. Bringing great sound quality since 1984 and now slighly modified so they will work great with your iPhone. A must have if you often listen to music and talk a lot on your iPhone. Still I get a bit frustrated. Why why! Why didn't Koss include volume buttons to such a great pair of headphones. That will lower the score.
The handheld includes two analog sticks, a 5-inch (130 mm) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, and supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G. Internally, the Vita features a 2GHZ 4-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and a 4-core SGX543MP4+ graphics processing unit, as well as LiveArea software as its main user interface, which succeeds the XrossMediaBar
Back and forth.... should I get the Vita or not? The PSP Go wasn't good last time I bought a portable console so why even consider the Vita? Finally I made up my mind and here are my thoughts:
The Good
The screen. It's amazing. 5-inch OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, 32-bit color, 960 × 544 qHD @ 220 ppi. It looks so gorgeous and the touch responsiveness is wonderful.
The analog sticks. 2 of them are included like a real PS3 controller. The feel and works great.
6 Axis motion sensor. Just like on the PS3 controller.
The rear touchpad. I've only tested it on one game but I really like the concept. Works like a charm when playing Fifa Football. You'll get the options to shoot with the rear touchpad and I actually prefer the rear touchpad.
The price. $249.99 or 1990SEK. I bought the PSP Go for about 300$ (2500SEK)
The battery life. You'll get a couple more hours out of the Vita compared to the PSP Go.
The performance. I have tested Uncharted and Fifa. They both look awesome. Incredible graphics and great performance. Almost like an portable PS3. Very competent and powerful.
Multitasking. You can flawlessly multitask between apps, services and games. It works perfectly.
The apps. They are few but very nice. Netflix, Facebook and a Twitter client.
Both download and media cards. You can choose to download games from the Playstation Network or buy media cards with the games on it.
Compatible with PSP games. All the PSP games that are available at the Playstation Store, about 250 of them (correct me if I'm wrong) are compatible with the Playstation Vita.
Cross-Play Games. With cross platform play you can start playing a game on your PS3, pause the game and pick up on the Playstation Vita right where your left off. You can also join multiplayer games on your Vita and play against players on their PS3 console. So COOL!
The Bad
The power chord. Sony have chosen to include their own cable (No micro usb). That means that your in trouble if you loose the chord. You'll have to buy a new one.
The memory card. Same goes for the memory cards. Sony's own cards is the only cards compatible with the Playstation Vita. In order to play the Vita you have to have a memory card.
The battery life. It's better then it's predecessors but more juice is needed. You'll be able to play for about 3-5 hours depending on the brightness settings.
More games. I would've really wanted to see even more releases. However, there are more releases then when the PSP Go got released.
The cameras. They're rubbish. 1,3 MP..... no comment.
Conclusion
In retrospect I think I made the right choice of buying the Playstation Vita. So much have been changed and it looks gorgeous. It's like having a PS3 in a mini format. For instance playing Fifa, feels just like playing it on a PS3. The controls feels and graphics are almost identical. That's very impressive. I recommend the Playstation Vita for those who often travel. The Vita will become your best pal. It will appeal to the whole family not just youngsters. Just look at me.... I'm 33 ;)
I'm certain the cross play will become a success as well. Lets just hope that many many games will be compatible with feature in the future because this feature is revolutionary.
Native mail, contacts and calender app. At last we can now enjoy these powerful apps. You can easily sync them with your google account and more.
MKV support. Very nice indeed. However, it will only work with mp3 and AAC as audio source. Not AC3
Android apps support. There are not lot of them yet. But we have now the ability to use some ported Android apps. More will certainly be added in the future.
The web browser. Works faster. Maybe the fastest web browser out there among tablets.
Create directories. You can now create directories and gather your apps.
Favorite apps. You can now also choose your favourite apps in the home dock so you easily can access them.
Updated App world. The interface looks much better now. Easier to find what you're looking for.
Notifications and alerts. The Blackberry Playbook will now alert you if you have an incoming mail or a reminder. The Playbook will play a sound and the LED light will blink.
The Keyboard. Predictive text has now been implanted.
The Bad
Still no big apps. No Netflix. No Spotify. No Kindle. One would've expected that at least one major app would've been released.
Flac.Still no support for flac.
Conclusion
OS 2.0 certainly made the Blackberry Playbook slightly better. But in my opinion I would've wished for more. I'm still waiting for those apps you use everyday like Spotify and Netflix to come. Just imagine if Blackberry had a equally large app store as the Android marketplace or the Apples Appstore they would have ruled the tablet world. I still love my Playbook, despite the lack of apps and it gets the score:
