gear

It would seem that you couldn't swing a cat these days without hitting something with the "Top Gear" logo on it. Assets from the madly popular automotive show--including the colorful commentary of the show's most popular presenter, Jeremy "Jezza" Clarkson--are featured in both Gran Turismo 5 and the upcoming Forza Motorsport 4 racing games for the PS3 and Xbox 360, respectively, and even in an iOS game. Today brings the news that you can now put ol' Jezza on your dashboard with the announcement of the TomTom Go Live Top Gear Edition, the first &… Read more

Turn 10 Studios has produced a live-action trailer for the upcoming Forza Motorsport 4 racing sim for Xbox 360, and it is officially the saddest thing I've seen this week.

Now, I don't mean "sad" as in poorly made. The trailer, titled "Endangered Species," is beautifully produced. It's narrated by Jeremy Clarkson, from the show "Top Gear"; the action follows an enthusiast's escape from a carpool and into an Aston Martin DB9 sports coupe and his subsequent attempts to outrun all those things that suck the joy out of driving. … Read more

Like banking, love, and cooking with beets, Lego must move with the times.

The times, in case you hadn't noticed, are somewhat troubled. Who can be surprised, therefore, that a vast and imaginative mind has found a way to take its little bricks of Lego and make an assault rifle out of them?

My mind went entirely Boing-Boing when that publication revealed to me this act of ingenuity.

The creation of the Plum Brothers, this Lego Lancer assault rifle was inspired by Gears of War, a very fine game in which you can kill people, destroy a lot of … Read more

A new series of Angry Birds iPhone/iPod/iPad speaker docks is winging its way over from accessories maker Gear4.

The units feature a red Angry Bird ($79.99), an explosive black Angry Bird ($99.99), or an evil helmet-wearing pig ($99.99). Each includes a 2.1 speaker, power adaptor, 3.5 mm line-in cable, and 3.5 mm port. Though Gear4 is hyping the products' release now, they're not available just yet as "coming soon..." is splashed across the Gear4 Web site.

We've already seen Angry Birds plush toys, T-shirts, bras, Halloween costumes, stickers, and amusement park attractions, to name just a handful of tie-ins to the Rovio game.

These new Gear4 speakers might be excellent products, but the onslaught of Angry Birds gear is starting to give the popular game that Disney/Star Wars/Mario Brothers uber-merchandised feel. Kind of makes you wonder how far away Mighty Eagle Condoms might be.… Read more

When it comes to third-person shooters for iOS, EA's Dead Space is the gold standard. Or it was, until now. Madfinger's Shadowgun has claimed the crown by offering some of the best visuals this side of an Xbox 360, and gameplay that's highly reminiscent of Gears of War. It is, in short, a glorious game, if not exactly original.

Actually, Shadowgun is original in that it was built for iOS, unlike, say, Dead Space, which has console origins. But the plot, setting, and gameplay don't exactly break any new ground.

As a mercenary for hire, guided … Read more

The growing evening chill has many a person's fancy turning to the slopes. But as you're picturing yourself shredding a glorious mountainside, you might also be remembering how annoying it is controlling your tunes with fat gloves.

The Mix Master Glove from snowboard maker Burton aims to keep you from fumbling around in your pockets to control the music player on your iPod or iPhone. The glove sports a removable wireless remote. A wireless receiver plugs into your iPod or iPhone. The remote lets you change tracks, adjust volume, and hit play or pause. Check out the video below. (Is that really what shredders listen to these days?)… Read more

This week, Donald and Eric discuss two street-legal TRON-inspired lightcycles at opposite ends of the price spectrum. Plus, we creep out on a way to perform real-time video face substitution, and the implications it will have on the future of video chat and our children. In geek news, Eric nominates an actor for Zombie of the Year and sounds off on Gears of War 3.

… Read more

This week on preGame, we're sitting down with one of the year's most anticipated games, Gears of War 3. Tune in for a chunk of live gameplay from early on in the game. Then, we'll put the pedal to the metal in Burnout CRASH!, the latest downloadable title from EA's Criterion Games.

But before we hit the demos, we'll run through this week's news including new details on the Battlefield 3 beta, the PS Vita's battery life, and hands-on impressions with Batman: Arkham City.

Finally, make sure to listen carefully this week as we're giving away free digital copies of one of Mark and Jeff's favorite games of all time, Resident Evil 4, for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network!… Read more

Next to Halo, the Gears of War series is the most popular Xbox 360 exclusive title. Following in the footsteps of the 2006 original and its 2008 sequel, the inevitable Gears of War 3 is finally here. The third-person "duck and cover" shooter doles another healthy heaping of single and multiplayer chainsaw and machine gun ultraviolent action, as supersolider Marcus Fenix and his COG army are once again fighting to rid planet Sera of the murderous Locust Horde.

How does the third installment of the trilogy compare to its predecessors? And is this one worth your $60 (or even more, if you're opting for the Epic or Limited Editions)?

Jeff:I'll admit I wasn't initially excited to get back into Marcus Fenix's boots for a third (and possibly last) time. The Gears of War franchise was beginning to smell like Halo to me; a handful of games that, for the most part, all play and look the same.

But Gears of War 3 makes some significant evolutionary steps, well beyond the game's face-lift that reassures it as one of, if not the, best-looking game on Xbox 360. Rest assured, Gears fans: Gears of War 3 is the most brutal game of them all, with a long campaign littered with plenty of jaw-dropping moments and a multiplayer component that has the polish and accessibility to stand on its own.

While Gears' basic gameplay remains untouched, there are few changes worth mentioning. In addition to a general fine-tuning that makes aiming, shooting, and reloading smoother than ever, there are a few new melee animations and abilities as well as new weapons.

But where I was really floored came in the form of Gears of War 3's fantastic multiplayer effort. Matchmaking implementation is tremendous, and players easily slide in and out of co-op in real time. It's also much simpler to set parties up, something past Gears games struggled with. Of course I've been playing without hiccups the entire week before public launch, so I'll be interested to see if the silky smooth performance continues on Tuesday.… Read more