Category: Other
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PS4 vs. Xbox One: The console wars take a new turn
Depending on how you look at it, the game console wars just took another turn with the launch of the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One consoles. What is even more amazing is the close and fierce competition between these two consoles in price, design, specs, and game varieties. How do these two consoles stack…
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Distributed computing comes to Android with BOINC
Our understanding of the world around us has grown by leaps and bounds since the invention of the computer. The simulation of complex systems in particular involves crunching a ton of numbers, a task computers excel at. Unfortunately, the very best number crunchers happen to be extremely expensive, both to buy and to maintain. Through…
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Are we too dependent on technology?
In a day and age where almost everything runs on electricity – lights, entertainment, cooking, communication – it can be hard to fathom a life without it. From smartphones to Saturday night movies set to dim lights and the scent of microwaved popcorn, power is a part of our everyday lives; we’ve grown accustomed to…
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Can $20 apps survive in the iTunes App Store?
Recently, I was looking at the new apps featured in the iTunes App Store and one got my immediate attention. It wasn’t for the name (I had never heard of it before) – it was for the price. The game was $19.99. My immediate reaction was “Wow! That is never going to sell.” Then I…
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New Super Luigi U is Nintendo’s first true DLC
Nintendo has always been slightly behind the pack in terms of online offerings. While downloadable content (DLC) for existing games is something very familiar to users of Xboxes, PS3s and even iPhones, Nintendo’s forays into DLC have been cautious and, at times, rather shambolic. Yes, there were new “coin rush” packs for New Super Mario…
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Xbox Live: Great for gamers, but unnecessary for everyone else
For the gamers out there, the thought of one of their most beloved gaming systems being unnecessary (gasp) is a virtual slap in the face. It’s easily accessible, relatively inexpensive, and opens our TVs up to the world of the internet. But when not playing video games, how much does Xbox Live’s capabilities really have…
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Why Nintendo must “up their game”
I’m a huge Nintendo fan, and have been since the 1980s. Nintendo gaming has given me an abundance of wonderful memories: from my first race on Super Mario Kart on the SNES, via Mario’s groundbreaking first 3D outing on the Nintendo 64, to the wow-factor of swinging a virtual tennis racket using the Wii Remote.…
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Game Review: Hundreds, a puzzle game with some new tricks
Puzzle games are delicate creatures. They require a careful balance of difficulty: too easy and players get bored, too hard and players get frustrated. To grab the largest audience possible, most puzzle games steer towards “too easy”. Partly because the tuning is difficult, it’s rare to see new puzzle concepts (the other big reason is…
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My first month with the Nintendo Wii U
The launch day for the new Nintendo Wii U saw my wife and I rush out to buy one like excited children. As committed Nintendo fans we had waited eagerly for our chance, and we were lucky enough to find one in the first shop we visited. With time off work booked in advance, specifically…
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Game review: Jamestown, an arcade shooter for the modern age
The recent explosion of indie game development has produced a ton of amazing games and has revived several older game styles like the side-scrolling platformer (VVVVV and Braid being good examples). Unfortunately, those of us who were fans of arcade shooters like R-Type and Raiden have been left mostly in the cold. Jamestown:Legend of the…