Editor's note: From now through the end of December, various Crave experts will be sharing their top five (mostly) tech-related wishes for the holiday season. See what we crave, and maybe you'll get some ideas!
Who knew gonorrhea could be so darn cute?
(Credit: Giant Microbes)1. Guitar Hero World Tour/Rock Band 2 (full band set). This is fairly self-explanatory. Sometimes sitting around playing a video game is just too sedentary. These games will have me rocking out with my stocking out not just on the fake guitar, but on fake drums, too.
The pretty extensive track list will keep me going for a while, and then there's all the downloadable content after I've finished. While I doubt they'll ever offer certain songs in my personal music collection ("The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" as performed by Leonard Nimoy), there are enough songs I like to make it worthwhile. Plus, everyone looks cool playing it, right?
2. Plush gonorrhea. Enough people get The Clapper for Christmas; why not get The Clap instead? The plush version. There are actually a menagerie of plush microbes you can get, but how often can you tell people you were happy to get gonorrhea for Christmas? Sober, anyway.
3. Digital Diamond game by Tomy. My uncle had this handheld electronic game back in the day, and I played it as often as I could sneak it away from him. It's primitive, loud, and kinda cheesy, but I've already written about my weakness for old-school electronic toys.
It's only electric in that it lights up; the main gameplay is mechanical, hence the noise. I was, believe it or not, not a great sportsman as a kid, but I had a lot of fun playing baseball with this toy.
... Read moreWhat's better than jamming along to guitar rock on Guitar Hero Mobile? Smashing some drums and battling other players to climb the charts of mobile stardom on the latest in the mobile franchise, Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile (review).
The handheld version of Activision's Guitar Hero World Tour console game is making its way around the carriers; at the time of writing, it's already available on AT&T and Sprint (Verizon is expected on November 28.)
Before you subscribe or buy, check out our First Look video to see the new drumming gameplay, hear the better sound, and get the lowdown on multiplayer mode.
I beat my first opponent. Are you next?
P.S. For best results, play to the very end.
When you've got a game as compelling and competitive as Guitar Hero World Tour, you get it on as many platforms as you can as fast as you can, including the mobile phone. On Thursday, the mobile version of Guitar Hero World Tour became available on AT&T phones. We got to try it out.
On the PlayStation, Wii, and Xbox, this fourth Guitar Hero installment counters Rock Band's drum and vocal tracks, which themselves had one-upped Guitar Hero's original stringed instrument. Vocals aren't practical for the mobile version--which still rocks, by the way--but a drum track is. Activision and game-maker Hands-On Mobile have introduced a drum choice for every song.
There's a lot more news here--the updated game, which has a new look and two fresh game-playing features (can you say "battle mode"?). There are also technical details that could make a difference to how the game looks and sounds on your individual phone. Finally, there's all the practical stuff about when your carrier will stock the game and how much it'll cost you. Let's take one at a time.
Note the new purple drum line you have to think about while you play.
(Credit: Hands-On Mobile)Gameplay
Anyone who has played Guitar Hero III Mobile (video review) will feel right at home with Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile, which begins with fifteen new songs for guitar and drums, and which uses the phone's keypad buttons instead of guitar frets. When it comes to customization, you drummers out there are an afterthought--guitarists can choose their instrument, but not you. Also, when you're playing drums, the bottom row of keys (7, 8, 9) stand in for the kick-drum, which is represented in the game by a horizontal purple line that floats at you along with the notes. I played several songs in the drummer's mode, where the kick-drum line helped keep the game interesting.
Also new to the mobile game is the multiplayer battle mode, where Hands-On Mobile has created a good way to pair you up with similar players all over the world. You'll be matched by skill level and by phone type (more on this below.) You'll divvy up picking a song and the instrument, and will have to use your star power strategically (called battle power in this mode) to keep your opponent from scoring. After playing, it'll be easy to track your score from the accompanying Web site (launching Friday). This is neat, but what if you want to play your friend? You should be able to duke it out with personal pals as well as with perfect strangers.
... Read more
CNET sister-site Gamespot is reporting that instruments for the games Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour will work universally with either title on PlayStation 3. In addition, the peripherals will also work with games like Rock Revolution and SingStar. SCEA director of publisher relations Michael Shorrock was quoted saying, "For the past several months, we have been working closely with Neversoft and Activision, Harmonix, and Konami to ensure that PlayStation 3 guitars and drum sets will all feature a basic level of gameplay compatibility."
While this interchangeable functionality was already confirmed for the games on Xbox 360, there was little word on whether a similar fate would play out for the PS3 hardware. This, of course, is a significant development for the gaming audience who chooses to purchase both rhythm-based games as now they won't need to buy both sets of instrumental hardware. On whether the equipment will work with current versions of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, Shorrock replied: "We hope to have an announcement on that shortly."
Rock Band 2 will have limited exclusivity with the Xbox 360 in September. PS3, Wii, and PS2 versions will then ship before the end of the year. Guitar Hero: World Tour is scheduled for a release on all platforms sometime this fall.
The new Xbox 360 dashboard
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)
The E3 conference opened Monday in Los Angeles with a press conference from Microsoft. Here are some highlights.
Microsoft showed off first-ever game play footage from the post-apocalyptic title Fallout 3 and announced that there will be downloadable content exclusive to Xbox Live. We saw real-time action from Resident Evil 5, shipping on March 13. We got a peek at the new co-op feature in the game, where players will be able to team up and make their way through together. Developer Square Enix also made announcements that included the release of four titles for Xbox 360 including Final Fantasy XIII.
Complete E3 coverage
but that doesn't mean Microsoft
and others aren't making noise.
As for console exclusives, we saw in-game action from Fable 2, shipping in October. Players will be able to seamlessly invite other friends who are also playing the game. Finally, we were blown away by the impressive game demo of Gears of War 2 shipping November 7. The game actually looks better than the original and will feature a five-player online co-op mode.
Microsoft will be releasing a new dashboard interface this fall that incorporates an avatar system--the Xbox answer to Nintendo Mii characters. The new feature allows you to join up with other friends to form a "party," a group of up to eight people where you can share multimedia items or start a game. A new mode called Primetime will actually incorporate real-life TV shows like 1 vs. 100 and allow Xbox Live members to play and watch these game shows and possibly even win real prizes.
Microsoft also announced ... Read more
Gentlemen, start your Gibsons: The Guitar Hero World Tour is about to begin.
The next version of Activision's hit title promises to take the shredding experience to the next level with "a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless instruments with revolutionary new online and offline gameplay modes," according to the company. Among the new elements will be a new guitar controller, virtual drums, and microphone, as well as master recordings from Van Halen, the Eagles, Linkin Park, and other artists. The selection can be expanded further with downloads through its "Music Studio," which will also allow players to compose and customize their own tunes, and its "Battle of the Bands" allows up to eight people to compete online at the same time.
The new title will be available on Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, and Sony's PlayStation 2 and 3. It won't be out until the fall, so you've got a few months to soundproof the walls--or, if you have teenage kids, to move them into the garage.
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