gaming

Rock-star wannabes can now unleash their inner Slash on two new platforms: Aspyr Media, in partnership with Activision, has announced that the massively popular music title Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be available to PC and Mac gamers this fall.

With more than 70 songs in the set list, and more original master tracks than ever before, according to Aspyr, players will be able to shred from many of today's artists, as well as from rock legends such as Metallica, the Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow PC and Mac … Read more

It looks like the little 7-year-old girl in this video can kick some serious booty on Guitar Hero. She may not be the only tyke around who can rock the music game (see this 5 year old and this 8 year old go at it), but still, it's damn cute watching her work that heavy metal with such speed and intense determination.

This video recently bubbled up on MySpace, where it has, of course generated hundreds of comments that alternately slam the girl for missing notes or spending time playing video games in the first place and praise her … Read more

One of the advertised improvements of the new PSP Slim was the fact that it could be recharged via its USB port. And while that may not sound like a major feature, for anyone who's ever traveled with a tangle of three, four, or even more AC adapters (laptop, phone, iPod, BlackBerry, ...), it was certainly an attractive idea. Unfortunately, it didn't quite deliver. Yes, the new PSP can be charged via its topside USB port, but the caveats involved make it more trouble than it's worth: the USB charging is almost twice as slow, only works when the PSP is powered on and in a dedicated USB charge mode, and it needs a PC as a source--it won't charge from a standalone AC-to-USB adapter. Thankfully, a handy accessory from Kensington provides a much better USB charging solution--and it works with both newer PSPs and the original models.… Read more

When Nintendo announced the Wii Zapper back at July's E3 show, the company promised the $20 add-on would be bundled with a game (a "pack-in," in gamer parlance). And today the company made good on the pledge: The Zapper will include Link's Crossbow Training, a Zelda-themed target shooter. The game will progress from simple bull's-eyes to moving targets (including enemies from the Zelda series), and--while I wouldn't expect much more than a glorified "how to use the Zapper" tutorial--something tells me Crossbow Training could be as infectious as Wii Sports. Either way, … Read more

Which layout do you prefer on your game pad? Do you like Sony-style, with the left analog stick low and symmetrical with the right analog stick? Or perhaps you prefer Microsoft-style, with the left analog stick high and level with the face buttons. Regardless of your preference, usually that choice is limited to the system you're on or which PC game pad you use.

Saitek has released the Cyborg P3600 Rumble Pad, the first PC game pad we've yet seen that lets you choose between the two layouts on a whim. Instead of a fixed layout, the Cyborg … Read more

Marriage can be so difficult. Just when you thought you've found eternal happiness, your spousal unit complains about every little thing. Take your latest purchase, for example: Who could object to a full-size arcade machine as the perfect living-room accessory?

Because Crave cares about you and your domicile happiness, we offer a solution from Surface Tension in its "Multi-Game Arcade Table." This cleverly constructed console (if it can be called that) lets you relive your misspent Space Invaders youth in an industrial design with a sleek metal finish suitable for the swankiest of lofts.

There is just … Read more

You might love your iPod or other portable music player, but can it play OGG and FLAC files? How about a game of Pong? Tom Merritt shows you how to install Rockbox, an open-source operating system for digital music players.

I love Bioshock. It's honestly one of the best games I've played all year, and has received consistently stellar reviews. I don't just like it because it's fun to play, though it is. The game itself features brilliant art deco-inspired level design and fascinating analysis of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and the Objectivist movement. However, do these factors mean that Bioshock is a work of art? I don't mean the colloquial, anything-that's-really-great "work of art," I mean a genuine work of artistic merit. I say yes. Bioshock, along with many other games, … Read more

As I mentioned over the weekend, video games have once again become part of my life. And as I explore far away lands like Hyrule or Gaia, along with newer places like the city of Rapture in BioShock, I can't help but be amazed at how far video games have come in the past decade. And with that in mind, I'm left wondering why the New Release rack at Blockbuster is still filled with 90 percent garbage. For a business that relies on entertaining people, the movie industry really needs to take some pages out of the video game play book.

Video games have become the most entertaining form of enjoyment. Period. Think back to some of the new movies you've watched in the past few years and tell me how many of these justified the two hours you wasted watching it. Chances are, that number will be quite low when compared to the number of great games you've played in the last year. Of course, the reason for this is quite simple: The movie industry has become monolithic and its very business model has become derivative and outdated. There is very little drive for anyone to make a unique and extremely exciting movie anymore because producers know that many of us will go out and watch the garbage no matter how bad it is. On the other hand, video game developers--largely relegated to second-class by the Hollywood-types--have something to prove. And in the process of proving themselves, it's the video game developers that are providing the real entertainment.… Read more