Opinion

Crave in Comments: From sexy batteries to swimming cameras

There is never a shortage of comedians commenting on stories here at Crave. Once again, some of the more humorous comments left on Crave are under the microscope. We always welcome the serious stuff, but we also encourage everyone to leave lighthearted commentary if they're up to the challenge. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, after all.

Overheard in Arm electrodes to electrify your guitar skills?:

"I have no doubt a possessed hand could do many other amazing skills but I'd probably get censored for saying it." --by Seaspray0

Overheard in Teen girl allegedly offers virginity for iPhone 4:

"Interesting trade: sell your body so that Apple may own your soul." --by 40list04

… Read more

Crave in Comments: Safe houses and sexy printers

Every week I spend time browsing through Crave comments to find the nuggets of gold our readers leave behind. While many of our stories elicit serious discussions, here are just a few cracks from this week that made me chuckle.

Found in FakeTV: Fool burglars into thinking you're at home:

"Burglars these days will kick your front door down while you are home. That's why I have security cameras and an H&K .45 USP with hallow points ready for any uninvited visitors/zombies. It's that or have Chuck Norris sitting on a rocking chair in the front yard. --by spurs32

Found in 15 sexy printers (yes, printers):

"My Canon i9900 has a real sweet rack ...of ink cartridges." --by schattenteufel

… Read more

preGame 55: Shadows of the Damned; F.E.A.R. 3

This week's game demos are intended for mature audiences only. Viewer discretion is advised.

With Mark back in the preGame lineup, we're set to demo two very dark and creepy titles on today's show. First up is Shadows of the Damned, the collective offspring of an all-star Japanese development team. Talent from such series as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and No More Heroes have collaborated to form a truly unique and remarkably odd tale of a man who must travel through hell to save his girlfriend.

Next up is the third title in the F.E.A.R. series. The tone in F.E.A.R. 3 is creepier than ever, but the game's iconic mechanics--like distinctive slow-motion effects--are still well in tact. Players will be greeted (or terrified) by Alma over and over again as her dark presence still runs rampant through the universe.… Read more

Crave in Comments: From Iron Man to iBamboo

Our feature "Crave in Comments" highlights just a few of the many intelligent, provocative, and funny comments readers share about Crave stories daily. Every Friday, we'll showcase a handful of comments that caught our eye during the week. We encourage you to join the discussion and share your own opinions, quips, and creative suggestions. The more voices, the merrier the Crave chorus!

About Guy goes to work in homemade Iron Man suit:

"This man would make a lot of money if he could sell replicas of what he made. The irony is...it would still say..."Made In China" --by ekimagem

About Xbox's original beast of a controller making a comeback?:

"Gah, I hated that big bastard... We used to play Halo at a buddies house and he had one of the original controllers and one of the S controllers, and we would always fight to use the S." --by Ross7406

About HTC quickly flip-flops; Desire will get Gingerbread:

"Oh, well somebody must have gotten a kick in the butt after that." --by Nataku4ca

… Read more

Is the 3DS in trouble?

It was the first thing that came to mind while I was sitting down at Sony's press conference last week. For me, the most shocking news to come out of E3 2011 was the price of the PlayStation Vita: $250 for the Wi-Fi-only version.

A portable console that has the graphical chops to be compared to its living-room cousin is certainly impressive, but the fact that it'll go for the same price that the Nintendo 3DS is currently being sold at is worth a double take.

I've already compared the two portables side by side in terms of specs, but now having played on the PS Vita, I'm even more curious about how the public will react when it goes on sale at the end of 2011.

In terms of overall experience, the PS Vita easily trumps the 3DS in graphics, horsepower, and even areas where Nintendo originally dominated--not to mention both of the 3DS' screens pale in comparison with the Vita's 5-inch OLED monster. The 3DS wowed us with its first-to-market augmented reality games and cards, but I found the Vita's AR interface to be much smoother and robust. When trying it out last week with the Vita launch game Little Deviants, I was told the camera-enabled augmented reality demo was running at 60 frames per second. I don't have the hard numbers on the 3DS, but I'd be shocked if it runs at more than half that.… Read more

preGame 54: E3 2011 wrap-up; Alice: Madness Returns

With Jeff back from E3 and Mark a little under the weather, preGame welcomes guest host Wilson Tang to help wrap up the highs and lows of E3 2011.

We'll discuss in-depth each major console manufacturer's presence at the show and what it was like to play with the PlayStation Vita and Wii U. We'll even have some never-before-seen footage of Jeff's hands-on time with Wii U and its tablet controller!

The first week after E3 has certainly had its fair share of controversies, so we'll leave the Duke Nukem Forever talk to The 404 and move on to what we think is this week's sleeper, Alice: Madness Returns.

Finally, we'll check out Nintendo's latest commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D starring Robin Williams!

Be sure to tune in next week when we'll have a live demo of Shadows of the Damned!… Read more

preGame 54: E3 2011 wrap-up; Alice: Madness Returns

With Jeff back from E3 and Mark a little under the weather, preGame welcomes guest host Wilson Tang to help wrap up the highs and lows of E3 2011.

We'll discuss in-depth each major console manufacturer's presence at the show and what it was like to play with the PlayStation Vita and Wii U. We'll even have some never-before-seen footage of Jeff's hands-on time with Wii U and its tablet controller!

The first week after E3 has certainly had it's fair share of controversies, so we'll leave the Duke Nukem Forever talk to The 404 and move on to what we think is this week's sleeper, Alice: Madness Returns.

Finally, we'll check out Nintendo's latest commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D starring Robin Williams!

Be sure to tune in next week when we'll have a live demo of Shadows of the Damned!… Read more

Top 5 secrets of E3

For many gamers, going to E3 is an unfulfilled dream. Attendance is tightly controlled (depending on your definition of tight), so unlike a boat show or comic book convention, you can't just buy a ticket and show up.

But if you do someday make it to E3, the show secrets presented here may help you get the most out of the experience. Regular attendees eventually work out most of these tips, but we're always open to new suggestions--feel free to list your own E3 secrets in the comments section below.

(Note: Also below is a handy list of … Read more

E3 2011: Biggest misses of the show

The big booths, high-profile games, and general spectacle of E3 all ranked very highly with attendees, according to the informal polling conducted during and after the show. Everyone has his collection of the best and worst games, and it's a dangerous minefield to step into that subjective field, so I'd rather avoid that (still, some of my favorites are easy to pick out).

There were, however, a handful of annoyances and missed opportunities. Some are long-term issues, others may have a quick fix. If you're interested in what E3 missed the boat on this year, check out our list below, and offer your own suggestions in the comments section at the end.

Related links • E3 and the video game bubble • Three is a magic number • Nintendo Wii U, Sony Vita, and the dangers of complexity • Why isn't Apple at E3? • E3 2011: Complete coverage

The console company press conferences failed to highlight some of the best games. Sony, Microsoft, and, to a lesser extent, Nintendo all use their respective preshow press conferences to highlight notable upcoming games, both first-party (those actually published by Sony, Microsoft, etc.) and from other publishers such as EA.

We saw the latest Call of Duty, Uncharted, and Zelda games, but several of the most notable contenders were missing. Perhaps it was because they weren't calculated to be key sales drivers, in the way that Call of Duty is, or because key partnerships required press conference stage time at the expense of other games.

I'm inclined to agree with a games industry executive who told me immediately after the show that the hottest E3 buzz-builders were BioShock Infinite, Skyrim, and Batman: Arkham City. Of those, BioShock got a brief plug at the Sony press conference while the other two went unmentioned.… Read more