Crave

My idea of hunting is watching Bugs and Daffy torture Elmer Fudd. ("Wabbit season!" "Duck season!") So I can't muster up too much excitement about Deer Hunter 3D for iPhone and iPod Touch, other than to say it entertainingly simulates the cruel act of shooting defenseless animals.

I say that as someone who enjoys--nay, relishes--games that simulate shooting zombies, aliens, people, and head crabs. So, yeah, I'm a hypocrite. The difference is, I don't relish shooting these things in real life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I see a tree that needs a hug.

As for Deer Hunter 3D, it plays out in 27 woodsy locales spanning three continents. The game's colorful visuals are impressive, definitely ahead of what we've seen from hunting games like 3D Hunting, iBow Hunt, and iHunt 3D.

The most dangerous game: a 12-point buck!

(Credit: Glu Games)

You can jump into Quick Game mode for, well, a quick game, or go on hunting trips to win awards and unlock new weapons, skills, and hunts.

The actual process of hunting goes like this: A GPS map shows your position and the positions of various game. Move your icon onto any set of wabbit twacks (could be wabbit, could be bear, deer, moose, etc.) and the game zooms in for first-person hunting.

From there you line up your sight by sliding your finger, then steady it with a tap. Down the road you'll earn guns that have scopes so you can zoom in. Then tap anywhere on the screen and blammo! You've successfully pretend-killed a cute, harmless, furry woodland creature.

Needless to say, this is not for me. It's not that I don't like shooting games, because I do. I just prefer run-and-gun action and hordes of Hellspawn. If Deer Hunter 3D sounds like your cup of sim-tea, it'll cost you $5.99.

Sixteen speakers come standard on the Mitsubishi LT-249 series. Go ahead, count 'em.

(Credit: Mitsubishi)

Not to be outdone by LCD TV makers touting LED backlights, 240Hz refresh rates, and stratospheric prices, Mitsubishi brings its own twist to the game of HDTV step-up-oneupsmanship with its Unisen models, each of which sports a new 16-speaker audio system.

Nestled below the pursed lips of the simulated image above, you'll find 16 speakers, an array that even when turned off should impress visitors to your living room.

When turned on, according to Mitsubishi, the "intelligent speakers...direct perfectly balanced audio waves beside and behind you to reproduce 5.1 surround sound and create an unprecedented depth of sound experience." We haven't tested the system, but on paper it sounds a lot like the principle employed by virtual surround speakers like the Polk Surround Bar.

Given the price of third-party surround bars, the entry-level LT-151 series doesn't seem too expensive.

(Credit: Mitsubishi)

If Unisen performs as well as such speaker systems, it will certainly represent the best TV sound we've ever heard. The question, of course, is whether it's worth it. The Polk bar above costs about $1,000, and less expensive options like the Zvox 325 ($299) are also available that do a solid job of simulating surround.

Then there's the myriad true surround systems out there with actual rear speakers--although they're not direct competitors to Unisen, since the biggest benefit of simulated surround is lack of rear speakers, wires, etc.

Mitsubishi's three series of Unisen models include 40-, 46-, and 52-inch sizes, and the least expensive, the 40-inch LT-40151, costs a suggested retail price of $1,799. Compared with competing 120Hz LCDs, like Samsung's LN40B650 ($1699) or Sony's KDL-40V5100 ($1499), that's not a massive premium.

On the surface, Mitsubishi's new sets look pretty appealing for people who want better sound from their TVs, and perhaps the company's picture quality has improved over last year's models, such as the LT-46148. We'll know more when we can get one in for review.

All of Mitsubishi's Unisen models will be available in May. Pricing and step-up details follow.... Read more

Test your air-traffic control mettle in Flight Control, a terrific little 99-cent game.

(Credit: Rick Broida)

At first blush, an air-traffic control simulator sounds about as much as fun as a podiatry theme park. But Flight Control is an absolute gem of a game, a perfect five-minute diversion that's perfectly priced at 99 cents.

The gameplay unfolds on a single screen containing two runways and a helipad. As aircraft appear from the periphery, you must guide each one in for a landing while avoiding mid-air collisions. It's pushing tin, iPhone-style.

To steer an aircraft, you just tap it and drag a flight path with your finger. Jets go to the red runway, prop planes to the yellow one, and helicopters to the smaller blue pad.

Things start off easy enough, but before long you're having to finger-juggle as many as 10 aircraft at a time. (Now I see why real ATCs are so stressed out!) Ultimately, your goal is to land as many planes as possible before the inevitable crash. (My top score to date: 31. Can you beat it?)

Flight Control features a jazzy little soundtrack, but you can listen to your own tunes if you prefer.

The game suffers from two minor annoyances. First, there's no "resume" option, so if you exit a game in progress, you'll have to start over next time. Second, there's no level structure to the gameplay; it just keeps getting tougher and tougher until eventually you lose--meaning that eventually you'll lose interest.

Even so, Flight Control is so cute, clever, and temporarily addictive, I consider it a must-have addition to any game lover's arsenal.

(Credit: SnakeHead Software)

Flight simulators used to be a staple of gaming when I was younger. I remember spending hours playing the hell out of an F-15-based game on the Sega Master System. It was pretty pathetic. The missiles were basically white dots, but it was all I had at the time and I loved it for a while.

I guess we were all still buzzing from our post Top Gun and maybe Iron Eagle obsession in the late '80s and early '90s. Nowadays, flight sims just aren't as popular. However, if you've been aching for a true dogfight flight sim for the iPhone, you may not have to wait much longer.

There are a couple of flight sim games for the iPhone, however, according to SnakeHead Software, their game Flying Aces is the first true dogfight flight sim for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The game puts you in control of an F-15 Eagle flying over the Persian Gulf and uses accelerometer controls to give you a more realistic flight experience. There will also be a ranking systems for players to compete against one another. The more A.I.-controlled enemy fighters you shoot down, the higher your rank will be.

This version of the game will be available on the App Store sometime in November for $7.99. SnakeHead Software is planning to release a multiplayer version of the game sometime in the future. At that point, the game will be priced at $9.99. According to the company, users that purchased the first version of the game will "most likely" be able to get the upgrade for free.

The MetalStrike FF joystick makes simulation games seem more realistic.

(Credit: Genius)

It's nothing new that game consoles' controllers provide feedback for in-game actions. PC gamers, however, have for a long time had to rely mostly on the static mouse and keyboard. And that would be very boring for simulation games, such as Microsoft's Flight Simulator X.

The situation's now changing with products like the new MetalStrike series joysticks that Genius announced Tuesday. The MetalStrike FF ($69.99) features a force feedback function, where the joystick vibrates when the user bumps, crashes, or shoots while playing air combat games that simulate real flight action. The MetalStrike Pro ($39.99) features different levels of vibration feedback. And the MetalStrike 3D ($26.99) is for those who don't like feedback functions at all.

All of the new joysticks have 13 programmable buttons, an eight-way "point of view" switch, and a turbo function for autorepeat, so the user can fly an aircraft just like a real plane. Each joystick also has a four-axis design including the rudder, which is ideal for simulated flight games, providing Aileron, Elevator, Throttle, and Power controls.

The new joysticks are available now for you to get your game on.

(Credit: CXC Simulations)

If the line between gaming gear and professional simulators is increasingly blurred, this is why. We've already seen sims that are FAA-approved, but CXC Simulations has taken the concept to a new level on the ground.

The "Motion-Pro II Simulator" combines the latest 3D technology with 505-watt 5.1 surround sound and a huge subwoofer that can be felt as well as heard through four vibration transducers. The result, according to BornRich, is "the unique sound and physical vibrations of a high-powered race car."

And to make sure your visual senses aren't left out, it has three 46-inch HD LCDs for its triple-panel display. Who needs that jDome thing, anyway?

(Credit: Racewood Simulators)

Virtual fitness games may be fine for the masses, but what about the landed classes of society's upper eschelons? Surely they can't be expected to partake in such commoner activities as stock car racing, skateboarding, or--gasp--bowling.

Take heart, subscribers of the Robb Report, there's now a fitness machine worthy of your station: an equine simulator. The "Ridemaster Pro" from Racewood Simulators provides "all the thrills that a real horse can but minus the spills and nasty bruises," according to BornRich, while giving "a nice workout courtesy of its real horse-like movements."

Indeed, one can go from a leisurely trot to full gallop while negotiating a range of courses chosen to appear in the screen before the robo-horse--which, by the way, can even nod its head and move its legs for added realism. As for the rest of us, we're just happy that it stops short of simulating behavior that requires stable cleaning.