Gamer Bait

Extra Bait

2007-05-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Apparently some genius had to conduct a study on whether or not paid video downloads have a "future" in the digital world, and to everyones suprise, NO!

"The market research firm estimates that only 9% of online adults have ever paid for a movie or TV show download"

As this is aimed at people who are already pretty familiar with everything the internet can offer it's hard to imagine a good number of them skipping a search on youtube or even perhaps on one of many torrent search engines and dish out cash for some videos to watch on their relatively small computer screens. Id much rather see movies that I paid for on this rather than thisObviously you could convert and burn and bla bla bla, but that defeats the purpose of buying it online. The best way yet in getting profit from all these shows is through advertisements, put some in the beginning or the middle, and even though all of us absolutly hate boring online commercials I will most certainly sit through the atrocity to catch the latest Family Guy episode. Full story.

Not a week goes by without hearing something about the awful time the PS3 is having, and obviously this one is no exception. Im sure most dont want to hear the same story over and over again, but I think this quote from Kyoshi Shin of the International Game Developers Assn. sums it all up

"When people talk about the PS3 on chat forums, they say it's like going to a very expensive restaurant and not getting anything to eat."

Sony didn't have a solid, well oiled plan when going into the next generation gaming, they relied heavily on the sucess of the PS2 and most likely assumed it would be smooth sailing with some catchy ads. And with the Xbox being on the shelves for over a year, Sony would have been much better off "paying for" a boat load of developers from the early start so loosing a few would not hurt them this much. LA Times Story.

Energy Drink Shootout: Rockstar

2007-05-14T19:37:00.000-05:00

This review is part of a larger comparison article. To read it in its entirety (and better understand the review as a whole), click here.
Previous: Monster Energy

Rockstar
Glock's Review
The Setup: I reviewed Rockstar the day after I reviewed Monster. As such, my second test period for this review was probably the truest test of how this specific energy drink will perform when downed to combat sleep deprivation. Why? You'll remember that I tried Monster on Thursday morning, and so I tried Rockstar Friday morning. So obviously one of the main influences of this test will be my sleep from Thursday night. If you've been keeping up with Gamer Bait, you'll know that for the past several weeks I've been participating in a podcast that gets posted weekly---on Fridays. We record Thursday night, beginning at 11:30PM or midnight (Eastern time), and the podcast itself is approximately an hour to an hour and a half long. Afterwards, we talk for awhile and then check the quality of the sound, after which I get my tired head to a pillow. As I noted in the Monster review, I get up at 5:20AM or so. The podcast on Thursday night put me in bed at 1:45AM Friday morning. Yeah, I know. But that's not it. Remember I've worked 8 hours a day all week starting at 6AM, and only gotten about 4-5 hours of sleep per night each night. Thursday night is the last night of the week that I don't get to sleep in come morning (assuming we don't have to work overtime on Saturday morning), so Friday morning is usually when I am most sleep-deprived. Long story short: 3.5 hours of sleep, and 4-5 hours of sleep per night for the four preceding nights.
Size: 16oz.
Cost:
Single Can: $2.29
Per oz.: $0.14
Four-pack: $5.98
Per Can: $1.50
Per oz.: $0.09
The Instruments: Sugars (60g), Taurine (2000mg), Caffeine (160mg), Guarana (50mg), Inositol (50mg), L-Carnitine (50mg), Panax Ginseng (50mg), Milk Thistle (40mg), Ginkgo Biloba (30mg)
The Taste: Start with Sweet Tarts crushed up into a powder. Then add that harsh (but somehow enjoyable) battery acid taste you find in Red Bull. Mix well, shorten the aftertaste by half of what you'd expect, and you have a 16-oz. can of Rockstar, complete with the red stylized double-R pull tab. If I drank it fast, I noticed that the Sweet Tart flavor became a slightly stronger sour apple taste. It also seems that they added a bit more sugar to counteract the harsh side of the drink's taste, but it doesn't really put a huge dent in it. Overall, it's not that bad, but it's got a taste that would inspire me to keep browsing the convenience store cooler in search of something better. Score: 6
Aftereffects: I drank two of these, one at 6AM Friday morning, and another in the early evening. I felt like death walking, and had the bloodshot eyes to prove it. As with the Monster from the previous day, I drank the first one slowly over the course of two and a half hours. It took off a little slowly, then reached cruising altitude and plateaued. That's exactly what it felt like. I wasn't amped up, had absolutely no jitter, and I didn't feel like I had an extra bit of bounce in my step...but I felt normal. I felt as if I'd slept for 8 hours and made it halfway through the day already (which is when I generally feel the most awake). For my evening can, I slammed the 16-oz. Rockstar down inside 5 minutes. My brain felt a little stimulated, I kept noticing I was tapping my foot while sitting at the computer, and I just barely felt that little caffeine/sugar jitter. Still not a "bounce in your step" experience, but I did feel a hair above normal when I should be feeling the effects of a long week with little sleep. Score: 7

nubulicious' Review
The Taste: This is one of the worst energy drinks I have had. The taste actually starts out pretty good, but about 20 seconds later you realize that there is a nasty aftertaste. All the energy that this product supposedly gives you will be wasted on your efforts to finish drinking it. Score: 2
Aftereffects: This is where the drink really shows its true colors; an absolute atrocity. This is the only time Ive got a headache after drinking an "energy drink", not only that but I failed to get any more of a boost than what a cup of decaf could have given me. Luckily I had it during the day and not in the morning, as that would have just ruined my whole day. I would try to write as much as Glock but it I'd rather just say "NO TO ROCKSTAR". Score: 4

Overall Gamer Bait Score: 5

Next: Sobe Adrenaline Rush (coming soon!)

I Say Again: Break Radio Silence

2007-05-12T12:06:00.000-05:00

First off, we are still alive. Secondly, we here at Gamer Bait apologize for our absence the past two and a half weeks. Thirdly, wow. If you had told me two months ago that the month of April and beginning of May would be so busy that I would have neither time for gaming on my own equipment or writing for Gamer Bait, I wouldn't have believed you. But that 40-day period included a lot of working, literally 7 or 8 birthdays (four of which I went out of town for), and a lot of other things that we won't delve into. And after things calmed down, I got sick. Anyway, it's my fault for not letting everyone know in advance, and for that I apologize. It kind of snuck up on me. But while life did steal me away from Gamer Bait for a short while, at least it treated me well. This is why we're looking for more writers! Regardless of all that's gone before, I'm back. And despite my absence, I did in fact find time to record our Gamer Bait gaming segment on the Two Cents podcast, so be sure to check that out and keep up on some of the latest gaming news. Coming up later, I'll post the Rockstar energy drink review, to begin rolling out the rest of the energy drink shootout. For now though, here are the past few podcasts; the gaming segment is the segment after the introductins and show notes.

- Glock

Episode 34: The Aftermath

From the gaming segment:

3-year anniversary for Xbox Live Arcade
New map pack for GRAW 2
Shadowrun going gold (and "green")
Spring Update for the 360
Halo 2 for PC pushed back
Cellfactor: Revolution released
PS2-exclusive 80s GH2 song pack details
Guitar Hero 3 & Rock Band news
Transformers Cybertron Edition details
PS3 and 360 costs breakdown
New M$/Razer gaming keyboard
Details on a new shooter from LucasArts

Episode 33: Twenty-one Questions

From the gaming segment:

360 Elite launch
Xenos graphics processors in the 360 going to 65-nm
Upcoming games and trailers

Spider-man 3
C&C 3 for 360
Fallout 3 trailer

GeForce 8800 Ultra
High school senior in Texas arrested/suspended over Counter-strike map
New Gears of War map pack
New expansion pack for The Sims 2
Halo 3 Beta update

Episode 32: A Change of Plan

From the gaming segment:

360 Elite launch reminder
Guitar Hero II

The Guitar Zeros
Three more GH2 song packs on the way

Cheaper blue laser diodes
80GB PS3 sighted
Folding on the PS3 update from Stanford

Gun controller
Keyboard coming from Nintendo

Movies

George Miller to work in video games
Plot synopsis for Hitman film released, movie release reminder

New games

KOTOR MMO
Tom Clancy's EndWar
Medal of Honor Airborne
Fall of Liberty
CoD 4
Crimson Skies 2

GTA IV

More info on the game
Liberty City mapped out

Crysis devs leaving co-op multiplayer up to the modding community
Command & Conquer 3 novel

Energy Drink Shootout

2007-04-23T16:53:00.000-05:00

Introduction
If you've ever found your reflexes slowing down around 3AM at a LAN party, woke up in the wrong lane during a seven-hour drive, or found yourself still yawning after lunch at work, this article is for you. A few weeks ago, nub pitched the idea of an energy drink comparison review to me, and I thought it was a great idea. So we decided to review the most common energy drinks; the ones that you invariably see whenever you go to the grocery store or stop in to refuel at the gas station. For this comparison, we selected Monster Energy, Rockstar, Sobe Adrenaline Rush, Red Bull, Full Throttle, and Starbucks Doubleshot. You may notice that some of the drinks are smaller cans (around 8oz.) while some are a great deal larger (16oz.), and are wondering why we'd compare them alongside one another. The reason is that all the drinks reviewed are in the same price range (around US$2.00 per can if bought by the can). We feel that you should get the same quality and satisfaction for your money, no matter which drink you buy. If a company believes that their product is good enough to sell half the quantity of its competitors' size product for the same price, then we'll hold them to that.

For our review, we've given you a little bit of background info on our state of mind and body during the testing periods, how much we paid (although prices will vary by store, region, and country), the major "energy" ingredients in the drink and the amounts thereof, and both impressions and ratings of the taste and aftereffects of each drink. One thing to note: on the 16oz. drinks, companies usually state that each can contains two servings. While it makes sense for them based on a health marketing and liability standpoint, for all intents and purposes a canned drink is one serving to just about everyone under normal circumstances. So bear in mind while reading that the ingredient levels are based per can, not per "serving". Also, we started to include information such as how many calories, or how much sugar and sodium was in each drink, but realized: if you're drinking an energy drink (or any canned beverage besides something like V8, really) then you're obviously not too terribly focused on how it's going to impact your overall health. I don't care if you do drink the "low carb" version. If you're after an energy boost and want to do it in a healthy manner, then get the right amount of sleep, exercise, and drink nothing but water and juice drinks. If you need something to pop your eyes open or pump you up for a few hours, buy an energy drink. That being said...we bought a lot of energy drinks. So without further ado, we at Gamer Bait give you our humble reviews. First up is Monster Energy.

Monster Energy
Glock's Review
The Setup: Let's see...not really all that sure what sort of thing is pertinent, actually. Physically, I'm 5'10" tall (178cm) or so and 150 lbs. (68kg). I usually drink either water or orange juice; no soft drinks or energy drinks unless I'm on vacation, and the only energy drink I'd had prior to doing this review was Red Bull. I work from 40 hours a week; 6AM until 2:30PM (with a half hour for lunch) on weekdays, and began my review at the beginning of my Thursday shift. Prior to trying that day, I had slept 4-5 hours every night starting on Sunday night, which is normal for me. My alarm goes off at 5:10AM and I'm out of bed by 5:20 or 5:30.
Size: 16oz.
Cost:
Single Can: $1.76
Per oz.: $0.11
Four-pack: $6.96
Per Can: $1.74
Per oz.: $0.11
What's in the Beast: Sugars (54g), Taurine (2000mg), Panax Ginseng (400mg), "Energy Blend" of L-Carnitine, Glucose, Caffeine (140mg), Guarana, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, and Maltodextrin (5000mg)
The Taste: Sweet, citrusy (it's a word, I swear), and smooth. Like they melted cotton candy into a syrup and added it to a can of Mello Yello, but managed to keep it from becoming too sweet. You do taste the "active ingredients" such as caffeine, guarana, taurine, and ginseng, but they are by no means overpowering. The aftertaste? Hardly even worth mentioning, because it's gone so quickly, and isn't bad at all to begin with. I have to say that I really like the taste of Monster, and would drink it as easily as any of the soft drinks that I might normally drink. Score: 9
Aftereffects: To me it seemed like it was instant. Expecting a harsh-tasting energy drink, I actually found the taste refreshing, so that may just be a partially placebo response. But the feeling persisted and built upon itself after that, so I guess that doesn't really matter. Two of Monster's "Energy Blend" ingredients are fancy words for simple and complex sugars, which might be why you feel a rush so quickly. But all the energy drinks reviewed have about the same amount of sugar, so that only makes sense if Monster's got some sort of special balance going on between the simple and complex sugars that the others don't. If that's the case, then while that's burning off, it gives the caffeine/guarana and other ingredients time to affect you. The reason I group caffeine and guarana together is because guarana is basically just another caffeine source. Guarana extract contains "pure" natural caffeine, whereas standalone caffeine is usually procured from decaffeinating coffee or tea. But back to the matter at hand: the sugars jump-start you, and keep going while the other ingredients get "warmed up", I guess you could say. When I drank a can slowly beginning at 6AM throughout the morning of my Thursday shift, I experienced a quick pick-me-up and solid follow-through. I noticed a bit of hand jitter when I went to write down some machine configurations, but not much. I definitely felt as if I'd gotten a full night's sleep, and even felt a little energetic past that. When I drank one (quickly) on Saturday afternoon, I felt amped up and felt like I was up for pretty much anything. I didn't have any urges to go screaming down the street in my skivvies, but I did feel energized. Oddly enough I didn't feel any hand jitter whatsoever. I think the reason for this is that I had not eaten yet Thursday morning when I had the drink, and had already eaten a burger for lunch a couple of hours before I had the Monster on Saturday. Score: 9

nubulicious' Review
The Taste: This is probably the best tasting energy drink out there. It has more flavor than red bull, yet it still more suttle than Sobe Adrenaline Rush. Its hard to describe the taste, so just go out an buy one it wont dissappoint. Score: 9
Aftereffects: Once again I believe this drink is superior in this category to most of the stuff you find on the shelf next to it. It has just enough for you to get the job done, but its not so overwhelming that you will loose 10Ib in the next two days. I, as most people, get up pretty early and need something to wake me up for the long day ahead. Ive tried many things, anything from coffee to caffeine mints, but nothing feels right. That is except Monster, this thing will wake you right up, not leave a nasty aftertaste and make your workday go by just a little faster. The only downside is the $2 price, it would take about $40 a month to support the habbit, which compared to a can of coffee is much more expensive. So if you have the means go ahead and make your morning a Monster morning. Score: 9.5

Overall Gamer Bait Score: 9

Next up: Rockstar

New 8600 and DX10 Value Cards

2007-04-21T20:13:00.001-05:00

Many people are aware of Nvidia’s recent launch of the low and mid range DirectX 10 cards. People are questioning if the 8600 series will have enough punch to handle next-gen released games.

“NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 graphics processors feature the award-winning GeForce 8 Series architecture with unparalleled levels of graphics realism and performance for Microsoft® DirectX® 9 and DirectX 10 games for the pricepoint.”

What sets the new 8000 series apart from Nvidia’s older line of cards is its new architecture. The 7-series cards were based off the G70 and 71, while the newer 8-series cards are based off of the G80. This is the first thing people need to realize when comparing the specifications of both card series. The 8800 GTS has 96 stream processors while the 8600 GTS has only 32. Many people are criticizing the cards because of this, as well as for the fact that the 8600 GTS models only house a 128-bit memory controller. However, when comparing charts (click here for chart), the 8600 GTS still outperforms a Radeon X1950 Pro. Also, the 8600 GTS only puts out memory at a rate of 32 GB/s while still outperforming the Radeon X1950 Pro at 44 GB/s. This goes to show that the new architecture of the G80 is quite an impressive feat for Nvidia. This is why people need to compare performance based on actual charts, rather than through specifications. However in other games, the 8600 GTS pulls slightly under the X1950 Pro (click here for chart). This is most likely due to drivers that have yet to be optimized for the mass of DX9 games. We find that many games are having patches released to optimize performance with DX10 cards.

If you're one who isn't concerned with gaming, it would still be wise to consider the cheaper 8500 cards, as they will perform exceptionally well for business applications. There is little heat output and Gigabyte has released a fanless heat sink version that will please those who are concerned about noise. The 8500 cards still come with dual DVI outputs and a few offer HDTV as well.

Some are a bit hesitant to fork over big bucks towards a higher end 8800 GTS. It would be wise to take a look at the new 8600 series that Nvidia has to offer. With it you’ll get DX10 capabilities for the future and many card retailers are releasing HDTV adapters. This will allow the consumer to hook up to their chosen HDTV and use it as a monitor. Either way you could still do the same thing through a DVI cable if your HDTV supports it. Based on the charts the 8600 still easily handles current-gen games. Remember that ATI is planning a release of their new cards supporting DX10, so it would be wise to hold off if you’re still unsure of a purchase.

Source - AnandTech

D&K2C: Ep 31

2007-04-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

The weekly podcast is up, and you should check it out. This week in addition to the gaming segment, we discuss the new website for Damon & Klitts' Podcast, the tragedy at Virginia Tech, as well as the usual assortment of random news and feature segments. Also of note: they've got a comment line set up in the form of a voicemail, so go ahead and give it a ring. Be it a shoutout, a question for anyone involved in the podcast, a thumbs-up/thumbs-down, or anything else that strikes your fancy, try it out: 206-666-5053. Also this week I'm going to include the media player in this podcast post, although I don't know if I'll continue to do this because I don't want to keep people from checking out the podcast site itself. As a final note, Gamer Bait is looking for writers! If you're interested, send us an email at gamerbait@gmail.com or IM us on AIM using the screen name Gamer Bait. Thanks, and enjoy!

From the gaming segment:

Nvidia releases new DX10 cards
Snoop Dogg wants his Xbox
Command & Conquer 3 Demo on XBL
Wii still doing well
Resident Evil for the Wii EU launch date
Sony

PS3 1.70 firmware update
Over 100 games to be released in Q2 for Sony platforms
Job cuts abound

Xbox

New backwards-compatibility update
360 Elite trade-in programs
360 Elite on eBay

Halo

New ongoing Halo comic book by Marvel
Halo map remakes available for download
Mountain Dew Game Fuel: the semi-official drink of Halo 3

-Glock

Extra Bait

2007-04-19T13:45:00.000-05:00

Microsoft is aiming high (or low) to help spread its popular software like Windows and Office. They are deciding to market some of these software suits for as low as $3 in countries like China which have experienced a huge techonlogical progression in the recent years. It probably should also be noted that this is a partial effort in helping to combat pirated material, which is a very dominant practice in the Asian markets.

"According to Microsoft, the software is part of a “new commitment to help close the digital divide” and an effort to “bring social and economic opportunity to the estimated 5 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology.”"

However in order to recieve this offer

"Governments will have to subsidize the purchase prize of a PC by a margin of greater than 50%, at least 10,000 PCs have to be ordered at once and delivered in a single language in a single year, and the software must be activated using Microsoft’s general software activation process."

This is not the first time these startegies were implemented, and hopefully not the last.

_________________________________________________________

We here at GamerBait have reported on several past incidents of mass identity theft from various companies and school, and here we go again,

"An online user by the pseudonym MaddoxX has posted a message on an anti-Valve site with pictures of what he claims are internal Valve files, including the company's balance sheet and customer transaction data."

However unlike the majority of these incidents which benefit directly from customer information, it appears that the hacker is holding the files for a pay off or ransom from Valve. Aside from the gloating he had this to say,

"I prefer you come with something good unless you want me to expose ALL of the customers [and] their information."

No response from Valve has been issued at this time.
_______________________________________________________

Now some comedy for everyone following the PS3 fiasco. About 2 months ago I mentioned here at GB that Sony was in no hurry to drop the price of the PS3. It was a bold statement in an interview with Gamedaily which asked Phil Harris,

"But don't you feel pressure from the realities of the market and people who maybe don't want to spend $600? Do you feel there is pressure to drop the price this year?"

to which he responded,

"Absolutely no pressure at all. I think that the reality of the market is that there's a great deal of software people want to buy, there's a great deal of software coming that will stimulate further activity in the market. We're very comfortable with the plan."

Fast forward to today and this statement came from the President of Sony, Ryoji Chubachi,

"We are re-examining our [PS3] budgeting process in terms of pricing and volume. Sales assumptions change and the market is competitive. We are in the midst of revisiting our strategy for the PS3."

This back and forth talk reminds me of good ol' Bush administration.

Source, Sony, Hacker, Microsoft.

Today, we are all Hokies...

2007-04-18T19:02:00.000-05:00

Before now, for my generation there were two instances that stood alone in our minds...where we could instantly recall what we were doing when we heard the news; the day after Columbine, and the morning of September 11th. Now there's a third.

Monday, April 16th, 2007.

Monday, April sixteenth...two thousand seven.

That date has been emblazoned upon my brain along with "33 dead, 15 injured" ever since I got home from work on Tuesday and turned on the news. I've not been able to get my head around all of it, and my thoughts and prayers go out to anyone and everyone affected by this tragedy. Still, it really wasn't getting to me. Wasn't. Past tense. Today, I saw pictures of those killed on Tuesday, as part of a tribute video clip. I read a little about each victim; mostly just snippets about their majors and where they were from. But the pictures and little snippets of information about the victims made them suddenly incredibly real to me. I watched that video clip with a heavy heart, as pictures of the fallen flashed up one by one. A wave of sadness washed over me as I realized just how many people had died; the pictures just kept coming. Photos of people that had died for no reason at all.

As I continued to read articles related to the shootings at Virginia Tech, my sadness turned to anger. Everywhere I looked, I saw people exploiting the shootings to further their own agendas. Politicians, profiteers, and general opportunists across the nation were taking advantage of the coverage to benefit themselves, in many cases within hours of the shootings.

Despicable.

But as I continued to read, the anger faded a little. All over the country, people were reaching out with their words to show their support for the families and friends of the victims. Additionally, tribute videos have flooded YouTube, there are countless Facebook and MySpace groups in relation to the shootings (one with over 265,000 members; in the time it took me to write this article, the group grew by three thousand members), and the image of "VT" over a black ribbon has become ubiquitous. And it's not just United States citizens; I've read condolences and support from the world over, from as near as Canada to as far away as New Zealand.

All of this has made me realize just how much I value the people in my life, as cheesy as that sounds. I can't imagine how I'd feel if something like this were to happen to them. Hopefully I won't ever have to find out. And if you're reading this, then I hope the same for you.

- Glock

Are piracy complaints legit?

2007-04-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, the US decided to file two piracy complaints against China. Humphrey Cheung of tgdaily.com reports that

"Susan Schwab filed the complaints with the World Trade Organization in Geneva and alleged that American companies lose billions of dollars a year to Chinese piracy."

Now you should first think about this for a second; if this music had no pirated alternatives would all these people go out and spend their cash to buy it? The music and software companies seem to exaggerate these claims, and as they have a pretty strong representation in Congress they generally can drive their objectives pretty far. In a country like China legal copies of many CDs can cost many times more then their pirated counterparts. Now lets look at the salary comparison,

"A professional employee could earn an annual salary of approximately 100,000RMB (approx. US$12,000) while a factory worker or an ordinary employee could expect about 36,000 RMB (approx US$4,340)."

With those numbers its hard to understand how anyone can spend several times more for the same exact content. So instead of filing useless complaints, how about investing into other sources of revenue that can be generated via their products?

In related news Microsoft will soon offer music without DRM.

"Microsoft is jumping on the DRM-free music bandwagon and will be offering unprotected EMI songs in its Zune Marketplace. Jason Reindorp, Zune’s head of marketing, announced the move, but didn’t add any specific pricing or timeline. He added that Microsoft has been advocating DRM-free music for quite a while."

Perhaps another move to help improve the Zune sales, but at least it's a move in the right direction.

Source, DRM and Salary and Complaints.

D&K2C: Ep 30

2007-04-13T10:13:00.000-05:00

This week marks a milestone for Damon, Klitts, and the Roundtable: today they've released their 30th episode of Damon and Klitts' Two Cents. Friday the 13th? Who cares, we've got an hour and a half of jibber-jabber ready for you to listen to. If you don't have that much time to kill, feel free to jump around and find what you like. I guarantee that there's something in there for you, be it gaming news from yours truly, sports, wrestling, movies, general news, or personal interest discussions on a variety of topics. This week from our end, I talk about:

Circuit City
Half-Life 2: Episode 2/Team Fortress 2
PSP Phone?
Nintendo stocks
Xbox 360 Elite Mother's Day Contest
New song packs for GH2
Guitar Hero III
Halo:

Halo 4?
Halo 3 Documentary Clip
Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta going live

And of course all the other random things tabled throughout the podcast, including the Imus debate. Tune in and check it out!

- Glock

Extra Bait

2007-04-07T12:42:00.000-05:00

If you have been getting tired of WoW recently, there is some good news out there. On Thursday

"Turbine, Inc. announced today that the World Tour of Middle-earth has officially begun. Over one million North American gamers are planned to be invited to this event where they can play The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar for free from April 6th until its scheduled launch on April 24th."

So if you're one of the lucky "few", go ahead and enjoy the time, if not you can still go and check out their site here.

Now if you thought you haven't seen the iPod killer, the Zune, on the streets lately it's probably due to the lack of sales. However instead of going to the obvious strategy of lowering the price to pose an actual threat to the iPod, the good folks over at Microsoft decided that perhaps it was the color that was hurting the sales. So now you will soon be able to purchase the Zune in 2 new colors, Watermelon Red and Baby Pink. The price is set for $249, however some have been going on eBay for over $960.

As a good number of our readers use Firefox I would recommend a video from the people over at CNET. The video gives 3 tips for making the browser suck up less memory and thus run faster. You can check it out here.

For those who might have missed the coverage of the 2007 New York Auto Show you can certainly catch up on all the great photos and videos here. The year looks to be very promising and even though most of us can't buy up every car we like, they are just too pretty to ignore. Some of the big points; GM is losing a lot of the market share to the foreign companies, thus in an effort to become more globaly oriented they are bringing in their Asian design studios to display the concepts on the show floor for everyone to get familiar with, perhaps hinting towards some major changes in the company. Check out the pics above, not the typical Chevy design.

And finally the iPod contracts a virus, which has been specifically designed for it.

"Kaspersky Lab created Podloso, a specially designed iPod virus, to show off a minor hole in the iPod platform. "Podloso is a typical proof of concept virus, which is created in order to demonstrate that it is possible to infect a specific platform," said Kaspersky."

You can check out the rest of the story here.

D&K2C: Ep 29

2007-04-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

It's that time of week again...it looks like Gamer Bait may well have an ongoing segment as part of the Damon and Klitts' Two Cents podcast. This week I discuss more news on the Xbox 360 Elite, as well as Guitar Hero II (and an accessory that, when mentioned, causes an uncontrollable outburst from an unnamed member of the round table). Also covered: GTA IV release dates, Rock Band (Harmonix's latest music video game), Nintendo's sales figures, and Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. As you listen, you may notice a little bit of a delay between the round table and myself, which becomes more pronounced the longer the show runs. The reason for this is that I am really phoning in the podcast from the Middle East (by which of course I mean that it's the Skype delay coupled with a slight recording delay). So if you hear us talking over one another, know that we're not rude, it's just the delay throwing things out of sync. All that aside, the podcasts are definitely worth a download, and I hope you guys are enjoying listening to them as much as I am enjoying being part of them. Go check it out and listen to the podcast in its entirety if you have the time. Because it's the weekend, and you're bored.

- Glock

Gears of War: New Multiplayer Mode, and the Value of Fun vs. Innovation

2007-04-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, recently made a brief post on the Gears of War message boards outlining the next title update for the game. Included will be fixes for a number of glitches, 720p support for VGA users running at 1280x1024, and a brand new multiplayer gametype called "Annex". Speculation and hopes flooded the board, until CliffyB (Cliff Bleszinski, also of Epic Games) stepped in and posted a (very) short reply:

::respawning::

This helps confirm the supposition that Annex will be a territory-based gameplay model, and many are hoping for a CTF (Capture the Flag) mode. As far as glitches go, we're earnestly hoping that they're fixing the instant chainsaw explosion kill in particular. Of all the glitches exploited in the game, that one is very likely the most frustrating one of all. I was going to post a video of the glitch, but couldn't find a video that had decent footage of the glitch in action that wasn't a tutorial. Since I find it so frustrating in-game, I reasoned that it would be somewhat hypocritical to post a tutorial for the glitch. Anyway, we're keeping our eyes out for more updates this week, and will keep you posted as we receive them.

Update: Microsoft apparently put up details at this URL, but yanked them back down, saying that the date was wrong. However, the info outlining gameplay for Annex was correct. Basically, it'll be a King of the Hill scenario. Read the whole shebang here.

Updated Update: The details at the above URL are back up, and the update itself was released on Monday, April 9th at 4PM PDT.

On a less technical front, Epic Games producer Rod Fergusson talked at GO3 last weekend in response to criticism of Gears, which said that the 2006 Game of the Year wasn't terribly "innovative". His argument? A game should primarily be designed to be fun, not necessarily innovative.

"That was the thing that bothered me with some of the early European reaction to Gears, that it wasn't being innovative enough. There's no mandate in the games industry that we have to make games that are totally innovative--the mandate is to make games that are fun."
"I'm sure everyone has heard of games where people say, oh, it's very innovative, but it's not fun to play. Well, that's death, even if it is innovative. It's about finding that sweet spot between evolution and revolution."

Yes, games must evolve. The way we play games and how games are presented to us will never cease to change. But I would much rather publishers sold games that I enjoyed over games that I thought looked cool. Currently the game that I play the most is a mod for a game released in 2002. No, it's not as pretty as S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but it's fun, and that's what brings me back. So Epic gets the nod for realizing that a balance must be struck "between evolution and revolution," as they put it.

- Glock

Extra Bait

2007-04-04T19:11:00.000-05:00

So for a more casual look on the web I bring to you some of the more interesting clips and news I gathered on the net today for all to enjoy. First I bring to you a clip that most should have seen already, but if you haven't here is another take on the Black Eyed Peas "My Humps"

Another video you might enjoy is the rip on the PS3 to a pretty popular song, take a look here.

To all the Wii owners out there, Resident Evil 4 has been confirmed for a release. Some details have been released on how you will use the Wiimote, take a look,

The Wiimote is used to aim a targeting cursor in order to target and fire at your enemies. To reload, you hold down on the B trigger and shake the Wiimote. In case you were wondering, the built-in speaker is being programmed with a reload sound effect.

The Wiimote is also used for close-range attacks. When an enemy approaches, all you have to do is give the Wiimote a little of the shake-shake. The game automatically detects the direction of the enemy and makes Leon perform a knife attack. This move can also be used against trees and barrels.

Read the rest here.

On a side note you can check out a video from ABC here which asks "Are you more familiar with the Idols or the Candidates?" However I doubt you will be surprised by the results.

The Life and Times of Take-Two Interactive

2007-04-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

Without a doubt, Take-Two Interactive is the company name on everyone in the game industry's lips these days. From attacking (and being attacked by) deranged lawyer-politicians from Florida in the legal arena, to realizing a net loss of $185 million in fiscal '06 (and subsequently announcing that they were up for sale), Take-Two hasn't had it easy of late. But the thing is, all that has just been the beginning of the current episode of ongoing turmoil and media coverage of the company's existence.

Stockholders kicked CEO Paul Eibeler to the proverbial curb last Thursday, installing Ben Feder as their new chief exec (although the plan is to replace him after the company gets back on track; possibly within a year). Other upper-level types were given the same treatment, with fresh faces stepping into fill the vacated (read: smoking) shoes. Among them was Strauss Zelnick (pictured), hand-picked by investors as the new chairman for the also-newly-formed board of directors. After such an extensive internal revolution, many are wondering if Take-Two should even be considering selling (no new news on that as of yet). Regardless, Take-Two's stock jumped after the coup, which is always good news for a company so far in the red based on the previous year (see above). Zelnick has stated that stability for the company is priority one, saying,

"We need to stabilize the company at the corporate level and give stakeholders, both shareholders and employees, comfort that we will maximize the value of the company."

Stability topping the to-do list, Zelnick has said that maintaining the books and keeping all the numbers straight (a problem for former CEO Eibeler) will be a constant priority, and that they are not ruling out reducing the workforce in order to streamline the company and make it more efficient:

"We will be candid with people about that. Running the company in an efficient manner is important to us and we think running a lean corporate operation will help shareholders."

All suit-and-tie matters aside, Take-Two released the first trailer mere hours after the takeover for their upcoming game Grand Theft Auto IV, due out October 16th of this year. That was late Thursday. The media sensationalists and politicians of New York City promptly went nuts on Friday morning. The NY Daily News claims that the "ultraviolent" game, set in a fictional city closely resembling NYC (dubbed "Liberty City"), has "little in common with reality." It's obvious that our esteemed colleagues at NYDN and those duly elected to office in the great city of New York are familiar with the concept of "fiction", and may or may not be aware of such precedents as books, feature films, and the ever-popular radio dramas of old. The three writers who penned the story for NYDN decided to include their own bit of fiction:

"In previous incarnations, players advanced through the game by killing cops, selling pornography to children and killing prostitutes."

Never mind the fact that there are no children in Grand Theft Auto titles to begin with to sell any pornography to...the story must be told! I imagine that the writers would claim artistic license if confronted, if only for irony's sake. Not content to let the press shoulder the responsibility of making silly public statements regarding the game, Peter Vallone---City Councilman for the city---said,

"Setting Grand Theft Auto in the safest big city in America would be like setting Halo in Disneyland."

While New York has been given the title of "Safest Big City", I believe that the crime rate is still slightly higher than that of Walt's family paradise. Setting GTA in New York is more like setting Crash Bandicoot in Disneyland, or setting Halo in the world of Invader Zim. And setting Halo in Disneyland would be more akin to setting GTA in a Cub Scout soap box derby---neither of which is happening (yet!). It's apparent that Vallone was not elected to his position as chairman of the Council’s Public Safety Committee solely on his ability to make accurate analogies.

Regardless of the setting or any fabrications designed by a sensationalist newspaper journalist, the fact remains that this is a work of fiction depicting fictional crime in an American city. Once again, the real problem is not the content, but rather the sociopolitical stigma associated with video games. Many films and other works have been based off of or involved crime and/or violence in major American cities, including New York City itself. Off the top of my head: the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, American Psycho, Die Hard, Escape from New York, Shaft, Deuces Wild, King of New York...the list goes on. Fictional violence and crime in New York is not a new thing. "Liberty City" has been part of the Grand Theft Auto franchise for awhile now, but only recently has there been such an uproar over the game's supposed reflection on the Big Apple. As Flynn de Marco has said on the matter, if GTA IV were a movie and the city was being paid accordingly, you'd have not heard a peep from those that are up in arms today.

But Take-Two isn't just facing opposition from New Yorkers. In Denver, Colorado, the company lost the right to advertise for GTA on buses (Denver is one of a handful of cities citing this new policy), but has won the right to advertise on the train system. How? The Regional Transportation District initially refused to green-light the ads, but upon pressure from Take-Two (who argued that refusing to allow the ads infringed on their First Amendment rights), decided to pocket the money and put up the advertisements. Rocky Mountain News criticized the RTD for their decision, stating that the First Amendment is irrelevant in regards to advertising contracts. Brian Crecente (pictured), editor of Kotaku and formerly also a columnist for the Rocky Mountain News (he left RMN for reasons unrelated to this article; March 31 of this year was his last day with the newspaper), wonders why RMN didn't mention anything to him while they were writing their editorial, seeing as he was still working there as their gaming news columnist. It's not that he's slighted---it's that they're "deliberately missing the point of this story". Crecente had the opportunity to talk to Gavin McKiernan, the National Grassroots Director for the Parents Television Council, about the general issue. McKiernan stated that while they were concerned with the content of the games being advertised,

"The bigger concern is with the medium."

Essentially, video games are somehow inherently more harmful to the consumers than television or movies, which is the reason his group is not actively pursuing any restrictions on advertisements for, say, R-rated movies.

I suppose that means that Take-Two should start writing a screenplay. That's a movie ticket I wouldn't mind paying full price for, considering.

- Glock

Additional sources one and two.

Is that a new outfit?

2007-04-02T22:24:00.000-05:00

Undoubtedly, many of you have noticed that Gamer Bait has undergone some changes over the past five days or so. We've moved from a simple, two-column, average-blog-style layout to what we hope is a more professional looking three-column format. The website is now optimized for a viewing resolution of 1024x768 or larger, since the vast majority of our readers (97%) use at least that resolution. A few weeks ago, we added Google AdSense pay-per-click ads to the site in an effort to generate a little bit of revenue for some of the changes and improvements that are still on the way for the site. Along with the layout revamp, we've exchanged the original text-based ads for graphical advertisements which (we hope) will blend in with the site a little bit better. We've added ourselves onto both AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and Xfire, so that you can reach us in real-time if you choose to (assuming we're online). You can of course still reach us by email at gamerbait@gmail.com. And as I outlined in my post on Friday, we've branched out into another medium entirely with the weekly gaming segment found on Damon & Klitts' Two Cents podcast. This past week has been the first major step towards what our "final vision" for Gamer Bait is, and more changes are on the way. We thank you for bearing with us through our growing pains as we try to improve Gamer Bait to better serve you. It'll be awhile before we have any more major announcements as far as major changes to the site or other projects, so we'll be back to our usual "programming" starting tomorrow.

- Glock

Multimedia? What's that?

2007-03-30T10:13:00.000-05:00

You may recall how a few days ago I mentioned that we were working on some new things for our readers (you)...well here's the first little tip of that iceberg. Gamer Bait has paired up with Damon and Klitts' Two Cents, which is a podcast running on an hour-long format, recorded weekly and available in either streaming or downloadable formats. What does this mean for you? In addition to enjoying Damon and Klitts' podcast (including a sizable roundtable of commentator/heckler-type folks), you'll be able to tune in and catch gaming news highlights from yours truly. While most gamers just know me by my nickname (Glock), I do in fact go by my real name (Matt) with most everyone else, which will include this podcast. Please check these guys out and give them a listen. Their page on ClickCaster.com has all of their recorded episodes, and Episode 28 is the first one with a gaming news segment. Bear in mind that this is one of many things that we are working on in the background for those of you that frequent our site.

Damon & Klitts' Two Cents at ClickCaster.com - main page; includes all episodes

Damon & Klitts' Two Cents on MySpace - includes latest episode and the occasional blog

P.S. - I do have to note that in the podcast I misspoke at one point; the Xbox 360 Elite is not out quite yet. While it is available for preorder, it will not be on most store shelves in the U.S. until April 29th.

- Glock

Extra Bait

2007-03-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

ATI Lasso: Because They Figured You'd Like to Be a Cowboy (or Cowgirl)
Regardless as to whether or not you enjoy westerns, this may be of interest to you. Every gamer knows that the one place that laptops really struggle is in the graphics department. ATI hopes to give you the ability to change all that with the Lasso, which will allow you to run standalone video cards outside of your laptop. Assuming you're in a locale in which you have room to set up another computer component, this will allow you to game to your heart's content and perform other tasks that may use your GPU's power as a supplement to your CPU. Not to mention the option to upgrade your laptop's video capabilities later on.

Nintendo Attempting to Block Wii Modders
In their newest console revision, Nintendo is trying to block consumers from using modchips to alter their Wiis by altering the circuit layout of the console. It makes me wonder why, because they have to know that modders will figure out a workaround within a couple of weeks. Ah, well. More practice for the hardware hackers.

Nvidia nForce 680i LT SLI Reference Motherboard
There's a new 680i reference mobo on the streets, and surprise---this one's under the $200 mark. Nvidia's stripped out a few features from the original 680i reference board, but nothing that will make you sit up and feel the urge to write them a nasty email about. It looks to be a great board for the money, especially when you consider that most 680i boards are still running at least $250 for retail, if not $300. From all reports it's a solid gaming platform with all the overclocking and benchmark-destruction oomph that enthusiasts have come to associate with the upper-end 680i boards.

IBM Double CPU Cooling Capabilities with Simple Manufacturing Change
IBM has figured out a way to manufacture CPU cores in such a way that the efficiency of heat transference from the core to the thermal paste and end cooling solution is greatly improved, all with just a relatively easy-to-implement change in how the cores are produced. The best part? It won't affect production costs much, so consumers will likely only see a difference in efficiency and performance, and not a difference in their wallets.

Intel Plans $2.5B Chip Factory in China
Intel's planning on cashing in on the booming Chinese tech market by building a new 1.6-million square foot chipset manufacturing plant in the city of Dalian (yes, just like the Dalian Plant map from BF2), and plans to have production in full swing by 2010. Keep an eye out for YouTube videos of Intel execs threading the needle of the nuclear cooling towers with F-22 fighter jets.

Doing a Wii Little Dance with Your Mac
Yann Seznec, a "Franco-American software developer hacker musician", put together a demo video of what could be (for musicians at least), be the most interesting Wii hack of them all. He's written software that allows him to manipulate loops and effects on his Mac using nothing but the Wiimote, making impressive use of the Wiimote's motion-sensing technology.

- Glock

Extra Bait

2007-03-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

We're playing catchup at the moment, so bear with us. We're working on a number of new things for Gamer Bait which we hope you'll enjoy...the downside being that it leaves less time for us to write. Here's some of the latest news from the past week; stay tuned!

A Plea for Folding@Home on Xbox 360
Now that PS3 owners can use their consoles for folding, a call has gone out for similar support from Microsoft on their console. For those of you who have no clue as to what I'm referring to, Folding@Home is a distributed computing project managed by Stanford University's chemistry department. It was launched six and a half years ago, it's aim being that of simulating protein folding (and misfolding) in order to better to understand many serious ailments such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and other diseases. Distributing the processing power amongst thousands of computers (and now, consoles) worldwide means that the project has been able to simulate the processes thousands of times further than without the project's help. With the latest PS3 firmware update, support for Folding@Home was included, greatly boosting the potential of the project's impact and progress. Now, good-willed 360 owners are clamoring for the same opportunity to advance medical science as their PS3-owning rivals. It's something that would ultimately benefit everyone while doing no worse evil than creating a little more friendly rivalry between the two console camps. I for one hope that Microsoft can get its nose out of the air where Sony is concerned for once and include support for folding sometime soon.

The Right to Baer Games - An Interview with Ralph Baer; the Father of Video Games
An interesting read from the man who actually has the documentation to prove that he started the home video game industry. Not to mention the National Medal of Technology awarded for the same reason. Baer is credited with inventing the first home video game console (the Brown Box), and the light gun. If nothing else, you can thank him for paving the way for Duck Hunter.

GRAW Blacklisted in Chihuahua, Mexico
The governor of the Mexican state named after a tiny dog which alternately is either found yapping incessantly or appearing in fast-food chain advertisements has seen fit to outlaw Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and will be seizing any copies it can from here on out. Apparently, a game with Mexican rebels as the bad guys will turn the entire nation upside down. Or something. I'm sure the good citizens of Chihuahua are relieved that the government has stepped in to protect them from subversive media in the guise of a video game. I think I hear them rejoicing now...

Novell Launches Pro-Linux "Get a Mac" Spoofs
While I've begun to tire of the Mac vs. PC commercials, these two ads by Novell made me smirk nonetheless. The Mac fanboys are all a-twitter over the ads, which is of course, at least a partly intended goal.

Xbox 360 Elite to Ship with Data Cable
As an incentive for consumers to buy the latest SKU of the Xbox 360, Microsoft is apparently eliminating at least one of the arguments against purchasing it. The 360 Elite (formerly known as the Zephyr) will purportedly ship with a data transfer cable of some sort, so that you may copy all of your current data over to the new console. That should quiet any of the naysayers basing their opposition on any loss of data argument. The only question now for a lot of gamers is, "How much will my current 360 go for on eBay?".

- Glock

Gates burns the PS3

2007-03-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

This is a pretty entertaining video, even though it's in French. Since the PS3 had it's big launch in Europe recently, Microsfoft desided they will make it even harder for Sony to go about their business. So what they did is plaster a huge Xbox 360 logo on a boat, and passed that boat in front of the people who were lined up for the PS3 release. Take a look.

Bateau XBOX au lancement PS3
Uploaded by scandy

Review: KINYO KY-90 Pulsating Headphones

2007-03-23T15:52:00.000-05:00

For the last several days I have been testing a new unit of pulsating headphones from a small company called Kinyo. This is the first time I have come across this company, however, their site displays a wide range of products. The reason these headphones caught my eye is because of their "pulsating feature".

These headphones are made up of plastic which unfortunately has some very rough edges. This makes the swivel of the individual earpieces less than stellar. The construction is average, although it could be definitely improved by hiding some of the little screws that hold them together. As for comfort I cant say much either, you always know that your wearing some big plastic thing on your head. They could have at least put some padding under the joining arc, so if you have long hair it can definitely get caught in the folding top part.

Lets move on to the sound quality, its average, about all I can say. I get a little better quality as the cheap headphones that came with my iPod. However they do a better job at blocking out external noise than the ones on my iPod, perhaps a good thing for when you want to mute your mom yelling at you to clean your room and do your homework, as I dont expect anyone past the age of 13 to even consider purchasing these headphones.

Now on to the main selling point, the "pulsating" feature. It really seems like instead of improving the sound quality they decided to make the headphones vibrate to add to the illusion of being "good" headphones. Does this feature work? Absolutely, it does exactly what its supposed to, it rumbles. There are instances when the rumble actually becomes rather annoying though; when listening to music which has a higher pitch, the headphones turn into a vibrator for your ear, and the same happens with some of the lower quality sound clips around the net. There is a regulator to turn this feature on and off, as well as the max/min wheel. It takes 1 AA battery, which will last for a few days of use on the max rumble setting. In the end your ears will thank you if you just save the battery and ignore this feature.

In the conclusion, well, ummmmmm.... I guess they did what they were advertised to do, yet I really don't see this "pulsating" thing catching on. I didn't go into what was included, nor its price as I hope you'll spend a few extra bucks and get yourself a decent pair of headphones.

Pros:
They really do pulsate!

Cons:
Too many to list.

GamerBait gives this a 2/5

Review: Targus Gerney Notebook Backpack

2007-03-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

Several days ago I got my hands on this backpack made by Targus. You can typically get this for about $39.99 in store, or perhaps a bit cheaper online. Targus products have always been high-quality merchandise, and this is no exception. All the materials used feel very durable to the touch and appear to be able to stand the test of time. First, let's take a look at its appearance. The black and orange colors of the material go very well together. Nothing is done in excess; even the shiny look in the front doesnt appear to be out of place. Its also not as mundane as its competitors which usually tend to go with black.

As for comfort, it's really hard to say that Targus put anything "extra" in here. The padding on the straps is pretty firm, and might cause some discomfort if carried for extended periods of time. The back of the pack is flat and is plain aside from some decorative stitching---there doesn't appear to be anything aiming for comfort. Also a good thing to note is that the backpack is rather tall and might be a bit uncomfortable for someone under ~5.5 feet.

Of course when it comes to space and pockets Targus fails to disappoint. There are plenty of compartments on the backpack, even some dedicated specifically for your writing utensils. In the picture below I put 2 books plus a notepad along with my Lenovo z60t and it was only half full. The compartment for your notebook is designed to accommodate any laptop with up to a 15.4-in. screen, thus I had no problems with the 14-in. widescreen. Its important to note that smaller laptops might have more wobble room in the pack, yet with all the padding around it I wouldn't worry. One thing I enjoyed is the extra head-room which Targus has above the notebook compartment, that space comes in very handy when you have something like an external PCMCIA card. There is also plenty of room up front for all the power cables and accessories that you travel with.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who is not lugging their pack for periods longer than 1 hour as it might get a bit uncomfortable. The backpack is probably a bit taller than its competitors so I would encourage anyone to try it on first before buying it. The quality is superb and the pack will stand all the abuse you may throw at it, and as there is also a lifetime limited warranty you have little to worry about.

Pros:
Great quality
Extra space on top
Lifetime warranty
Fun colors

Cons:
Not very comfortable

Editors Pick 4.5/5

Xbox Zephyr Renamed the 360 Elite

2007-03-20T18:41:00.000-05:00

According to the April issue of Game Informer magazine, the Xbox Zephyr isn't the Zephyr any more: it's the Xbox 360 Elite. Yeah, we know how that sounds, being April and all, but Matt Helgeson (senior editor at Game Informer) has told Kotaku that the story is, in fact, genuine. It is now slated for a late April release, as opposed to May 1st, as was previously predicted. The Elite will be a limited-edition unit, and once they sell out, a white version will begin replacing the Premium model on store shelves (possibly late summer or fall). It'll cost $479 and sport the 120GB hard drive, HDMI port, and a bundled HDMI cable. And be really sweet. That's a technical term we use in the gaming industry.

- Glock

Sources 1, 2, 3, and 4

Extra Bait

2007-03-20T17:21:00.000-05:00

Enjoy!

Sony Releases Euro PS3 Backwards-Compatibility List
A lot of games have no problems, most at least kinda work, and a scant few have been left out in the cold.

Killer K1 Gaming NIC Review
The $180 version of the $280 big NIC brother hopes to score some cost-effectiveness points.

MMOs Top $1B
Gee, I wonder who's leading the pack on that one?

First HD-DVD/DVD Disc Hits the U.S. In June
It has lots of layers. Like an onion.

Alleged Loophole Lets Users Bypass Vista Activation
If anyone asks, we don't support any such operating system piracy, regardless of how many related stories we post on the subject now or in the future.

Intel Names "Bearlake" Gaming Chipset
Nothing says "gaming" like large furry predators and moderately-sized bodies of water.

Sony Shares Details On 1.6 Update
Because details are more fun when they're shared.

Guitar Hero II in the UK: April 6th
The only problem being that it's being released on April 6th (think about it).

Take-Two Considering Selling
Analysts Weigh in On Possible Sale
Because losing $185 million in '06 isn't fun.

Pirates of the Caribbean to be Multiplatform
A marriage of the platforms for Captain Jack Sparrow, so to speak. "A wedding? I love weddings! Drinks all around."

XeLL - Linux Bootloader for the Xbox 360
Requires a buggy kernel, but aside from that, the coolness is undeniable.

No Hard Drive for the Wii, But a DS Headset Is On the Way
Not exactly a fair trade, but that's the tech biz. Or so I hear.

- Glock

Extra Bait

2007-03-19T18:19:00.000-05:00

First off, thanks a ton to nubulicious for handling the double load from Thursday through Sunday this past week(end), as I was out of town during that period of time. He did well...writing into the late hours of the night while I was out watching 300. Twice. But now onto the Bait. Here's what I missed out on while I was away:

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One Trailer
Penny Arcade has released a preliminary trailer for their upcoming game. The 2D stuff looks great, but the 3D side still needs a bit of work. PA has acknowledged this and has stated that this isn't what the final product will look like...'tis a work in progress.

Halo 2 for PC on May 8th
'nuff said.

Zalman Launches 3D Monitors
The air cooling behemoth moves into the visual arena.

AMD Charges, Intel Falls
Intel's not out by any means, but AMD is gaining a bit of ground---not losing it, as Intel fanboys would have you believe.

Nvidia 8800 Ultra on the Way April 17th?
Or so the crystal ball tells us.

Use Your PS3 for Medical Research
Folding@Home isn't just for the PC any more.

Best Buy to Drop 20GB PS3
Because it's hard to sell the thing? Duh.

If you're a reader and have spotted an article on a topic that you find particularly interesting that we haven't covered, email us at gamerbait@gmail.com and we'll likely include it in our Extra Bait segment.

- Glock

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to come on March 20th!

2007-03-18T20:35:00.000-05:00

A new release date was posted by THQ for the US release of STALKER, the set date was moved to March 20th. After years of delays, this is a pleasantly unexpected move by the publisher. Included are some final teaser screen's as well as a link for a probably last 90mb trailer.

NOTE: There will be no single player demo for this game as stated by THQ

New Video!

Source

Say NO to education!

2007-03-16T19:28:00.000-05:00

Its often the talk of many politicians to help, improve or develop better education in the community. However apparently BBC got several complaints regarding its online news project aimed at the kids sector called BBC Jam! The complaints came from the

"commercial businesses in the education sector"

which stated

"that the success of the BBC Jam! site adversely affects the sector as a whole."

It's important to keep in mind that BBC is largely funded by the public with the help of the annual license fee. The site will be suspended on March 20th.

Source.

Extra Bait

2007-03-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

It seems that every day I sit down to write an article for Gamer Bait, I find myself with a handful of solid stories to choose from. Unfortunately, due to Gamer Bait not being my full-time job, I usually only have time to write one article and then work on either another project or something behind the scenes here at GB. In the future, we may bring in more writers in order to provide our readers with more content. In the meantime, we've decided to add "Extra Bait" onto our usual postings whenever we feel there's something you'd like to read about but we didn't have the time or manpower to properly expound upon ourselves. So without further ado, I give you today's Extra Bait:

Peter Moore: New Xbox 360 in Five Years

Commodore Unveils Gaming PC Range

Sony Ups PlayStation 3's PS2-Compatibility Count by 200

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 to Support DX10 Technology

Nintendo Incorporates GameSpy into the Wii

Evolution of a Game Engine: From RTS to FPS

God of War 3 for PS3 Confirmed...with Vibration!

Sony UK Boss Confirms PSP Redesign

Cross-platform Gaming on May 8th

2007-03-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

One huge gap is even closer to being bridged by Microsoft; the platform separation that we are all used to might no longer exist several years down the road. Microsoft has already announced that it will make multiplayer gaming possible from the PC and the Xbox. This means that people who use PC as a primary gaming machine can soon show off their skills to their console counterparts. However it's not all that simple---you will need to get a Gold subscription to Microsoft Live in order to enjoy such features. Note: Microsft also has a map service called "Live", perhaps they should pick some original names from now on.

The PC version of Live will debut on May 8 with the launch of the Windows Vista
version of "Halo 2," Microsoft's popular alien shooter game.

For those of us who never got into Halo, or just flat out suck at it, there will also be another game coming.

In June, Microsoft Game Studios will release "Shadowrun," the
first game where Live will support competition between players on the Xbox 360
and PCs.

Also to come will be cross-platform UNO. Whether or not this will actually go anywhere is still undetermined. Will people want to pay $50 a year for the Gold level subscription in order to enjoy the cross-platform play?

Source

IBM: 65nm Cell Processor Production is Underway at New York Plant

2007-03-13T17:49:00.000-05:00

Back in late January, Sony announced that it would be producing a better Cell processor. Instead of the established 90nm process, a 65nm process would be used. 65nm technology is inherently cheaper to mass-produce than its 90nm counterparts, a fact that was not lost on consumers or analysts in light of the steep price for Sony's Cell-based PS3 console. Yesterday, IBM announced that it's $2.5billion (USD) plant in East Fishkill, NY is the first plant to produce the new chip. How long until we see the chips in PS3s available for sale? Not soon enough, is all that can be said. The first-generation PS3 has been doing its best to drain Sony's wallet like a fratboy doing a kegstand, with Sony losing money on every unit it sells. A second-gen PS3 could do wonders to turn that all around, if Sony plays its cards right. The aforementioned Cell processor architecture change will be a big help (the current 90nm chips cost Sony $90 apiece at last report), of course. Then there's Sony's plans to replace most, if not all, of the chips responsible for backwards-compatibility with software in European and Australian models (read more here ) in an effort to cut costs (although this should be the case already with those units set for the European release on March 23). Both should help Sony to try and actually make money on what they sell, although they've stated that price cuts won't be happening any time soon (most likely early '08; summer at the latest). So could there be a second-gen PS3 on the horizon? A new Cell processor based on the 65nm process would be a good place to start, obviously. Sony and Immersion have finished their legal squabbling and there have been strong hints towards a new Sixaxis controller---now with rumble technology. Fewer chips and smaller chips in the PS3 means less to fit in the case, and less heat, so rumors of a smaller form factor PS3 have understandably been popping up like fertilized weeds in online forums and blogs worldwide. So if you were to speculate on a PS3.5, I probably wouldn't laugh. But as with all hopes in the technology industry: don't hold your breath.

- Glock

Intel to Slash Prices On Core 2 Processors

2007-03-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

[EDIT: In writing this article, I initially stated incorrectly that Barcelona was being launched for desktops and servers in Q3 and Q2, respectively. Currently, AMD is aiming for a Q4 and Q3 launch (also respectively).]

I hate it when people say that they're going to wait until "such and such" happens, comes out, or becomes established before they build a new computer. There will always be a better technology around the corner or a slight price drop a little way down the road, and to postpone a PC build on the next iteration of the cycle of progress is foolish at best. So I feel a little guilty writing this article, because I know what kind of effect the news is likely to have on a lot of people shopping for a new computer. But that's where it ends. When the Barcelona (AMD's upcoming quad-core Opteron CPU) is launched for desktops in Q3 of this year (it launches for servers in Q2), Intel is going to be waiting with new processors and new prices. Prices that happen to be around one third of what the same speed would cost today. For those of you who haven't been following the CPU wars closely, I'm referring to Intel upgrading a number of the Core 2 Duo chips in the form of three new Conroe CPUs. The E6850, E6750, and E6550 are Intel's new kids on the block. The E6850 clocks in at 3GHz versus the E6800's 2.93GHz, while the E6750 retains the E6700's 2.66GHz clock speed. The new E6550 (there was no E6500) trumps the E6400 with a 2.33GHz clock speed over the E6400's 2.13GHz, and has double the L2 cache---4MB (the same as its big brothers). It will likely be comparable to the current "best-value" Core 2 Duo on the market; the E6600. All three new processors sport a 1333MHz FSB instead of the old Core 2 Duo's flagging 1066MHz FSB standard. This information may or may not be news to you; all this has been announced before. The main attraction here is the massive price drop that Intel has in store for consumers. Some of you may remember when the Conroe CPUs debuted; AMD reluctantly dropped prices on all of its processors in order to compete with Intel's new tech, making the cost-effectiveness playing field arguably level. This is fairly standard practice in any market, be it the tech sector or elsewhere. Intel, it seems, refuses to be content with a level playing field, and is attempting to turn up the heat with a more aggressive change to their pricing whenever AMD launches Barcelona. The current top-of-the-line E6800 runs around $950-1000US in a retail box from online vendors. Intel's new E6850, however, will be priced at $266US per thousand, which by my guesstimate will probably equate to somewhere around $300US for consumers. That's a faster processor for literally less than a third of the price its equivalent costs today. The E6750 and E6550 will enter the market at $183US and $163US per thousand, respectively. I'm not saying you should wait on that shiny new computer you're building, but if you're not in urgent need of an upgrade, you could save several hundred dollars if you were to hold off for about 6 months. Your call.

- Glock

Kontrol Freek - Are you kidding me?

2007-03-10T01:38:00.000-05:00

For those of you that tend to lose control of your thumbs while playing Gears of War and Halo, have I got a product for you! The brilliant minds at Kontrol Freek have decided that this problem has reached epidemic levels and have (thankfully!) engineered a solution to the problem. For the low, low price of $9.95 per pair, you can buy little green plastic...things to keep your thumbs from flying off the control sticks during your next gaming session. Now, I'm not much of a console gamer, cleaving to my PC as much as I can. I admit it. But I do play (poorly) on the 360 and the Wii whenever I'm not parked in front of a keyboard and mouse. Even with my meager abilities though, I have somehow mastered keeping my thumbs on the sticks in the midst of close-quarters shotgun combat without that much effort. I know, I know; it's insane. Pssst, Kontrol Freek. You want me to buy something that will help me control a console better? Start selling a $10 hookup cable for a keyboard and mouse so I can use my Logitech G5 when I'm playing Gears. Thumbs down, say I.

- Glock

PS3 will socialize!

2007-03-07T21:52:00.000-05:00

The Playstation Home seems to be a mix of the Sims and the Mii community (think Second Life), although its doubtful that it will be a "true" online community such a MySpace. Still, it should give Sony a title that thinks outside the box, plus---it's free.

Stalker gone GOLD, plus some new HD videos

2007-03-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

Finally STALKER has gone gold with a set release date of March 23rd, so mark your calendars and get ready for some exciting game play. There are several new videos out; here is a nice new in-game clip.

stalker ingame
Uploaded by drloser333

There is also an HD video of multiplayer in STALKER which you can find here.

Scarface for the Wii

2007-03-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

IMG DIR:http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~tsussman/images/scarface-tropical.jpg

The title that doesn't seem to fade away with time, a movie from the 70s that still has a huge fan base 3 decades later, Scarface---is well on its way. Perhaps this will demonstrate a better adaptation of the Wiimote's capabilities than in Red Steel. The release is scheduled for summer of this year. Could it possibly resemble the Godfather mixed in with some GTA? Check out some of the gameplay from the Godfather on the Wii.

New BioShock HD trailer, GTA IV in October

2007-03-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

The developers for the long talked about game for the 360, BioShock, have released a new video.

There is even an HD version here.

And in other news, what will probably be one of the most successful titles out there---GTA IV---will be coming in October as announced here. Rockstar has also set up a site for the game which you can check out at http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/.

Link exchange

2007-03-01T18:11:00.000-05:00

We are starting a link exchange program here at GB; if you run a legitimate site, blog, or publish in some other medium, feel free to email us at gamerbait@gmail.com and we will get back to you in the next 2-3 days. This is a great way to promote both sites or publications as well as increasing traffic and readerbase for everyone involved.

Battlefield: Bad Company

2007-02-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have heard about EA's upcoming entry in the Battlefield franchise, while others are wondering what I'm talking about, and when I'll get to the point. For the second group, here you go: 90% destructible environments with today's weaponry and technology, and you're AWOL American soldiers after "gold and revenge". If this were Hollywood, it'd be a less-than-promising action flick in the making. But as a video game for PS3 and Xbox 360 (possible PC and PSP releases later on) slated for release on August 1st of this year, it's gets a reaction that's a little (lot) different from us. This should be a change of pace from both the old-school Battlefield ('42, Vietnam, BF2), and the newer 2142-style of structure and gameplay, while still retaining that Battlefield element, with a strong touch of dark humor thrown in. Check out the teaser video that was released today on Xbox Live below, and view it at higher resolutions here.

- Glock

Sony won't cut the price of the PS3 anytime soon

2007-02-26T18:46:00.000-05:00

Says Phil Harrison, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President. He comments that he is in no hurry to cut the price of the PS3, a move which many analysts believe could give the sales department over at Sony a boost. He also gives a brief comparisson of the Playstation and Wii platforms,

"I think Nintendo, although I am very respectful of the innovation in Wii, and I think everybody should be respectful of it, I'm not sure that it has the technology base to propel that platform in the long-term. So I think their platform lifecycle is inherently going to be shorter, so they could have learned from us in terms of the high technology approach."

Ironically he says this about Microsofts Xbox 360,

"Microsoft's approach I thinkis far too built around a single game IP, one IP, and they could learn the benefits of a killer catalog rather than a killer application. And having the broad software support in multiple genres, in multiple categories, in multiple age groups is what really propels a platform for the long-term. So I think those are the differences that we see between the platforms."

this is coming from a company that had one of the worst launch line up's in a long time. Could this be a denial stage for Sony? I say that only when the PS3 catches up in sale numbers to the Xbox and the Wii will I listen to their criticism of other platforms.

Read the rest here.

European Gamers: Don't Get Rid of Your PS2

2007-02-25T00:39:00.000-05:00

So there you sit, eagerly awaiting the PS3's release on March 23rd. Cash in hand (copious amounts), bated breath, the whole bit. Just be sure to bring along enough cash to buy a few games for your newly-acquired PS3, as well. Oh, you figured you'd get a single game, and just play your old PS2 titles alongside it until you could afford more next(new?)-gen-only games? Good luck, because Sony's cutting newly-mended corners. Sony's decided to replace some of the chips in the console with software "components", specifically those dealing with PS2 backwards-compatibility functions. This decision was caused by a desperate need to cut production costs, since Sony loses money on every new console it sells. Said a Sony spokesman,

"The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the U.S. and Japan models."

With buyers in the UK (for example) paying £425 (about $830USD vs. our $599USD price) for the console, that's going to hurt. Yes, we're all very excited about the pretty new games, but a lot of people are going to be unhappy that they have to use their old console to play the games they already own. Especially those gamers who are helping fund their venture into the new-gen gaming world by, say, selling their PS2 on eBay. I doubt that enough people are stuck in that scenario to seriously hurt PS3 sales, but it's not going to help them.

Analyst Alex Kwiatowski from British market research group Vertical Market Technologies says that those "nostalgic" gamers concerned with backwards-compatibility have "steely hearts", and just need to learn to enjoy the latest games, because they are exceedingly pretty. Well, not exactly, but that's the gist of it. It's not that any of us have cardiovascular organs comprised of iron-based alloys...it's that we are even more broke than Sony is. Bookmark this page and check it on March 23 or later to see which of your old games will be compatible with the new Playstation.

- Glock

Wii takes the lead, Mercenaries 2 to other platforms

2007-02-22T20:27:00.000-05:00

Take a look at some of these sales figures that were released by the NPD Group.

"The Wii sold around 436K units, easily beating the 360's 294K units and the PS3's 244K units. And the PS2 also continues to outperform the PS3; Sony's six-year-old system sold 299K units."

More and more, the future of the PS3 looks even less hopeful.

In other news, Mercenaries 2 will be heading to the Xbox 360, PC, and the PS2 this year. The game started life as an exclusive for the PS3, however the CEO of Pandemic Studios, Andrew Goldman, commented that it was developed

"from the beginning [as] an experience that accentuates their [platforms'] different strengths."

Everything looks better on the big screen!

2007-02-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

Some guys hooked up their Wii up to a movie theater screen, and the results look very impressive; now if only we could get that to fit in our living rooms.

Stupidity Silenced in Halo 3

2007-02-20T23:44:00.000-05:00

If you've ever played with someone like this (warning: very strong language), then you'll appreciate Bungie's decision to include what they are calling the "A-hole Button". They've mapped the back button on the controller with this colorful moniker, and when used in conjunction with the right stick, a player may bring up the scoreboard and select the offending mouth to silence. Players' responses to the news have been varied, with one constant. Some think that it should be a kick feature, not a mute feature. Some think that there should be a visual representation on the scoreboard denoting mutes given to an offensive player. Others think that a rating system for players being muted would be a no-brainer addition to the feature (think Slashdot's post moderation scheme, especially the "threshold" aspect). I think that's a brilliant idea, personally. Still others think that the feature is long overdue, as many multiplayer games with comm features have had this feature for years now. Regardless of any side input such as these, everyone agrees: 'tis a good thing. For those of you that are wondering, the A-hole Button won't conflict with any of your XBL account settings:

Any muted player you have selected in your Xbox Live account overrides Halo 3’s new system, but that should actually enhance the choice of maroons you’re editing out of your gameplay. Best of all, it means fewer wasted or frustrating gameplay sessions. We’re doing our best to come up with lots of smart solutions for stuff like this, but honestly, we can’t be parents to some of these poltroons. We’re much more concerned with giving you guys the tools you need to silence them.

Never met the guy, but you have to love someone who uses words like "maroon" (throwback to old Bugs Bunny cartoons), and "poltroons" (just a fun word).

- Glock

Xbox Zephyr on May 1st, and 1 in 45,000 chance of asteroid striking in 2036

2007-02-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

The first news is of a new Xbox 360 codenamed "Zephyr" which is supposedly coming out on May 1st. Some of the rumored upgrades are a new cooler core, HDMI input, quieter DVD-rom and an extra 100GB of space. All sounds great, and it looks like its aimed to compete directly with the PS3 with a price of $479.00.

Also in other news, astronomers have presented the possibility of an asteroid-Earth collision to the UN, which claims that we have a 1 in 45,000 chance of getting hit in the year 2036. Although the odds are pretty low, the risk is very, very high. I think this is a good time to start and update or develop a global network for asteroid tracking.

Gears of War to PC, plus new HD S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video!

2007-02-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be that soon, however when TeamXbox interviewed Epic's VP, Mark Rein, he had this to say:

"People ask me, “Are you going to do it on PC?” Yeah, eventually…I don’t think that’s any great secret that we would like to do it on PC, but for now it’s a 360 game. Eventually we’ll get around to a PC version. I just don’t know when."

Finally PC gamers will get a chance to experience what all the hype was about. It also goes on to mention a possible sequel, a pretty obvious decision considering its popularity. Read the rest here.

There is also a great HD-quality video of the much anticipated game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. here in 720p. It looks like the developers have kept their promises and the game is looking very polished.

New Microsoft OS, Vienna, to come by 2009

2007-02-13T19:51:00.000-05:00

When someone is going to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of software, they usually want it to last. Microsoft has its ups and downs with the software it puts out on the market; the good being XP and Windows 98 and the ugly being Windows 2000 and ME. Since the recent release of Vista, some have begun to question if it will actually last, and whether or not it is worth spending the $$$ to upgrade to it. Recently Microsoft has announced that the sucessor to Vista (codenamed Vienna, formerly known as Blackcomb) will come in 2009, with the beta to appear by mid-08. Assuming Microsoft adheres to this schedule, this is a suprisingly fast release, giving Vista a life time of only ~2 years. Compare that to Windows XP release in October 2001, and lasting all the way up to early 2007. But of course, Vista was initially intended to be released in '03, and just look how that turned out.

For Our European WoWers

2007-02-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

I've noticed that we have a few readers from the UK and France, so this one's for you guys (and gals). If you're of age and happen to live in Europe, you could be in luck. In celebration of the two-year anniversary of World of Warcraft's European launch date, Blizzard and Alienware are giving away several Special Edition World of Warcraft-themed computers based on Alienware's Area-51 7500 model. Each PC is worth approximately £3000 (for us Yanks, that's a little over $5800). There are two contests related to WoW, although you don't have to have an account with Blizzard in order to enter. You have until the 27th of February to enter one of the contests, and must be a resident of age (different ages for different countries, see the contest rules for further explanation) in one of the European countries named as per the rules. Those of us on the western side of the big pond are out of luck with this one though, and all entries from contestants living in countries not listed as eligible "will be discarded". Good luck!

- Glock

Fascinating designs

2007-02-08T19:03:00.000-05:00

So far the cell phone design has remained fairly stagnant; there have been few attempts at innovation and redesign. And quite frankly most phones look the same, but with the introduction of the sleek iPhone this perhaps might push other companies into creating something that is truly revolutionary. Here is a company with some impressive ideas to note and that perhaps can hint at the future of the next gen. phone design.

Could we possibly see this in a few years or will our technology limit the possibilities?

Nintendo and Sony Breathe a Sigh of Relief: No Dell Handheld for Now

2007-02-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well the PSP and DS are safe, at least for the moment. Dell stated earlier today that the media buzz created last week by their head of gaming, Abizar Vakharia, was just wishful thinking on our part:

"Dell is constantly evaluating new technologies. However, we have no plans to launch a gaming handheld at this time."

Sony and Nintendo breathed a sigh of relief, I'm sure, but my sigh was one of disappointment. Monopolies are obviously never beneficial for the consumer, but I've always liked it whenever there were at least three contenders for the crown in whichever field is in question. Makes the market more competitive, and less of a back-and-forth or leapfrogging exercise. Some may argue that the Nokia N-Gage should be considered the third contender in the handheld market, but is barely recognized as a gaming platform, and really doesn't hold a candle to the PSP or DS platforms in terms of market share. Perhaps a heavily used matchstick, but not a candle.

While some have been quick to point out that Dell didn't say that they weren't going to produce a gaming handheld, I can't show the same amount of optimism that seems to be permeating the blogosphere regarding the subject. Yes, it's possible that Dell may enter the foray at some point. And no, Vakharia's statement about a handheld being "on the radar" doesn't directly conflict with Dell's denial of such a device being on the drawing board. But I think that Dell's radar is what some might call "vast" or perhaps just "big". Regardless, in this analogy, a gaming handheld whose possible existence at some undetermined point in the future was vaguely hinted at by a man whose job is to be in charge of everything related to gaming at one of the largest computer vendors in the world is doubtless one blip amongst thousands on that big green screen that he glances at throughout his day.

I'm not saying it will never happen. I was actually a bit excited whenever Mr. Vakharia said that it was a possibility. But Dell's statement today has curbed my enthusiasm for the moment. Honestly at this point I think that someone at Dell has a good idea of how they'd like to design a gaming device, but it's just a fantasy that they hope to someday be able to get the go-ahead to work on. I can think of a lot of reasons that Dell should make a PSP-killer, most of which I outlined in my original article and in above in this one. And it wouldn't be as difficult for them as one might imagine. Dell already makes their own displays, many of which have received glowing reviews from PC magazines (for example, they hold Maximum PC's title for "Best of the Best" Widescreen LCD monitor). They're currently ranked #25 in revenue in the US, and have the ability to manufacture products well, and in large numbers. For this reason I think that (if and when they decide to move forward with a handheld gaming platform) while their device wouldn't be a PSP- or DS-killer in the strictest sense of the word, they would very likely break into the market with a competitively priced, quality product that would steal (and keep) a decent amount of market share.

I think that consumers are ready for another option, and Dell has the brand-name power to sway initial buyers. But for now, everything's speculation and birthday wishes. Anyone holding their breath on this one is sparing oxygen for the rest of us that probably wouldn't be put to intelligent use anyway.

- Glock

Crysis Posing Less of a Crisis for Expectant Gamers

2007-02-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

For all of you wishing that you had a beastly computer in order to run those fancy schmancy games coming out this year, I have good news. Assuming that one of those titles in your gaming fantasies is Crysis, that is. We here at Gamer Bait have it on good authority that those of you with less-than-wicked systems are still likely candidates for fragging baddies in Crytek's upcoming release of the game. And by good authority, I mean the CEO of Crytek, Cevat Yerli. Determined to make the game playable (likely to be bought) by a larger audience of gamers (consumers) than might be expected, given its much-hyped, DX10-rendered (a.k.a. fascinatingly gorgeous) graphics, Yerli states:

"We developed almost all effects to be very scalable for different hardware specs. Fortunately this is much easier now that we can rely on the existence of hardware shaders. We believe clearly that Crysis will be enjoyed by a large audience that dates back to gamers with two- to three-year-old gaming rigs."

This is good for anyone interested in the game, for a few reasons. Obviously, the first one is that you have a better chance of being able to play the game on your rig, as long as it's not too terribly old. Yes, four years is fairly recent in the grand scheme of things, but a four-year-old computer is a senior citizen when it comes to playing the latest titles. Secondly, more people able to play the game on their systems without upgrading means that more people will actually buy the game. How does that concern you? In the short-term, it means that there will be more people online in multiplayer servers to play against, and more of a variety of servers in general. To some this may not be a major selling point. But I enjoy the multiplayer aspect of a game more than anything else, so the better that experience is, the more I feel I've gotten for my money. In the long-term, strong sales obviously generate more revenue for Crytek. As much as it costs developers to produce a game for us to buy and play, it's definitely a good thing whenever a quality title can make them a great deal of money. EA Games, Crysis' publisher, would really be OK if they didn't sell four million copies (a la HL2), but an innovative dev team like Crytek could always use the scratch.

Yerli offers but one caveat: If your system is DX9-only, try not to look at your friend's DX10-rendered display at the next LAN.

"We work hard to give everyone a great experience. You should not miss anything when [only] playing it on DX9, but if you get a chance to play it on DX10 you might [miss the fidelity when going back to DX9]."

Yerli also says that Crytek's "strong connections" with Nvidia, Intel, and Microsoft have played a large part in lessening the stress involved with adapting the game to the latest technological advancements in the computer industry. Crysis is going to be branded as part of the Games for Windows marketing push, and he goes on to say that Crytek will very likely make a move towards becoming a Vista-only development team in the future..."but that’s not 100 percent decided yet". That's fine, whatever. Just come out with Crysis already!

- Glock

Top games from the Windows XP generation

2007-02-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

When we have a game that we put a lot of time in and enjoy with a passion we sometimes want that game to be considered at the top of its class. Thus we have numerous articles over the net that try to rank titles of all genres and complete a list of the Top games for a certain time period. With the approach of Vista and DX10 games, Voodoo Extreme has published its own article here that tries to rank the Top 20 games of the Windows XP era.

Its hard to judge whether these comparisons mean anything as someone who enjoys FPS games might not care at all for a game like WoW. However its an interesting read nonetheless, yet in my personal opinion I don't think the ranking of these games against each other is an effective way of comparison. There are some titles out there that truly revolutionized the way we go about thinking about games, and they attract such a wide range of gamers that they enter a Hall of Fame for Games.

Since I have been into gaming for some time now and have tried hundreds of titles, I am fairly confident that I can make a list of the 5 most influential games in the Windows XP period that I believe helped to get us where we are now. They are not ranked in any particular order, but are in my opinion the games that really shook the industry.

1. World of Warcraft: It would be hard to dismiss a game that attracted millions of gamers and created such a powerful community with a wide range of gamers. Its touted as being one of the most addicting games out there now, and it would be hard to disagree with this fact.

2. Battlefield 1942: A game that brought a truly multiplayer environment to thousands of people. It was the first game that really got the concept of "all out war" right, and bravo to that. It also sparked an impressive mod community due to the flexible Refractor 2 engine, bringing us such titles as Desert Combat and Forgotten Hope.

3. Half Life 2: Arguably one of the most anticipated titles of this decade; this is a game that had an amazing story with an impressive action-packed gameplay. The original HL gave birth to the infamous Counter-Strike and this sequel didn't disappoint. CS:S is a truly addicting and mind-blowing online shooter with a basic premise that truly had gamers hooked.

4. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory: Although this didn't reach the success that the above games had, it did expand on gameplay that was truly unique in its co-op mode. This game had an excellent story which never seemed to repeat; it required the player to think outside the box. This is a game that deserves more credit than it received, and is still a great title to enjoy.

5. Call of Duty: How can anyone not include this game? Despite such an abundance of WWII FPS titles that are out there, this is truly one of the most rewarding games on the shelf. The developers just seemed to get everything right, a great story, intelligent AI, and combat sequences that kept the player on his feet.

Honorable Mention:
MS Flight Simulator '04
Battlefield 2
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

Was Alienware Just the Beginning? Dell Considers a Gaming Handheld

2007-01-31T19:43:00.000-05:00

At Dell's European Innovation event in Marbella, Spain, PC Plus (a UK magazine) learned that a gaming handheld may very well be on on the distant horizon for the mail-order PC giant. Dell's gaming boss, Abizar Vakharia, when asked about the possibility of a gaming handheld from Dell, answered

"You know, that's definitely one that's on the radar screen, but we have no plans to talk about anything today."

It's anyone's guess as to whether that this blip on the "radar" will come to fruition any time soon, but there's no denying Dell's increasing interest in the gaming market. Last March, Dell bought out the custom gaming PC company Alienware, making it a wholly-owned subisidiary. Rather than absorb Alienware into it's infrastructure entirely, the smaller company has retained its own branding and continues to produce the same type and quality of gaming machines for the PC enthusiast that it has in the past. Despite the acquisition of Alienware, Dell maintains its own separate line of gaming PCs in the form of the XPS line in its catalog.

Gamers don't make up a majority of computer sales, but they are irrefutably a driving force in the advancement of computer technologies, especially processing power and the almighty video card market. When it comes to the larger gaming demographic, there are several smaller groups (which admittedly sometimes overlap) that a manufacturer must take into consideration.

Very casual gamers, who play a game or two on their family computer, often buy mainstream computers such as Dell's Dimension desktops. Dell has had that market all but cornered for awhile now. The next step up is a group of people who really enjoy their games, but still want a computer that is convenient to order and maintain; possibly still fulfilling the family computer role. Again, Dell has them covered; these consumers are likely to purchase an XPS. The third group is one that games very heavily, and wants a computer dedicated to such from a name they can trust. Last March, Dell's purchase of Alienware secured a large portion of this market.

Lastly, you have two groups that would never, ever buy a Dell PC for its gaming uses: power PC users and console gamers. Power PC users seldom purchase desktops at all, instead building them themselves, and will always build their own gaming PCs. This will only hurt Dell more as laptops become more and more simple to build at home. Console gamers do most or all of their gaming on devices such as the Xbox, Gamecube/Wii, or Playstation consoles. The only way for Dell to make money off of these final two groups in relation to gaming is to sell them something other than a desktop. A gaming handheld from Dell may help them to put something with their logo into the hands of all segments of this small but influential demographic.

For those of you that are wondering, the UMPC mockup image on the PC Plus site is a Samsung Q1.

- Glock

THQ Appoints Gary Rieschel to Company Board of Directors

2007-01-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

The board of directors over at THQ has recently expanded from six to seven seats, the seventh being Gary Rieschel. This move by THQ shows their dedication to continue the pursuit of global growth of the company. They have several large titles coming out soon, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and the recently announced Saints Row, and are mindful of the need to secure the Asian markets. Brian Farrell, the president and CEO of THQ, comments that

"Gary brings tremendous experience in Asian markets to our board,"

and

"We are delighted to tap into his expertise as we pursue our global growth strategies."

Rieschel holds an a M.B.A. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Reed College.

Full story here.

PS3 might be getting a break!

2007-01-31T12:33:00.000-05:00

Today THQ has announced that an award-winning game---Saints Row---will be coming to the Playstation 3. The company states that they are aiming for a Spring release date. The game, originally released for the Xbox 360, has been criticized by some detractors as a Grand Theft Auto copycat. While the general consensus among reviewers is that Saints Row does do everything GTA does, it does many of the things that GTA did wrong...right. The result is a game that while perhaps not as innovative as Rockstar's ground-breaking franchise, still has the power to attract console gamers with it's quality of gameplay and design improvements.

THQ used the same dev studio that helped produce the impressively unconventional Descent as part of Parallax Software, and had this to say about the game:

Developed by renowned internal studio Volition, Inc., Saints Row brings the hugely popular open-world genre to Sony's new console for the first time and will mark the first open world online experience available through the PLAYSTATION(R) Network.

Kelly Flock, the executive vice president, also commented that

"Bringing the open-world genre to the PLAYSTATION 3 system for the first time will help grow the Saints Row fan base and expand the open-world online community."

These statements are what those of us in the gaming world call "misleading", and will undoubtedly by some be referred to as "lies", although we doubt they were intended as such. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is widely considered to be the first open-world game that has been released on the PS3, and there are other titles available for the PS3 that fall into the open-world genre. That being said, Saints Row will be the first open-world game for PS3 to feature a multiplayer mode for online play, so the quotes are only mildly inaccurate.

THQ lauds Volition, Inc. as

"...one of THQ's premier internal game development studios responsible for high-end creations on next generation systems and Windows PC. Its credits include best-selling console and PC franchises, including Saints Row, The Punisher, Red Faction(R), Summoner(R) and Freespace as well as the award-winning Descent as a part of Parallax Software."

Hopefully this will give the PS3 the credit it deserves. Full story here.

From Space Invaders to Space Invaders

2007-01-29T14:54:00.000-05:00

The oldest name in the game is back at it. Today, Midway Games issued a press release confirming the development of Blacksite: Area 51. The Chicago-based company states that the game will be released for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, just as its predecessor; Area 51. Released in April of 2005, the original Area 51 was referred to by some as "Halo for the PS3", although Midway's offering did not generate nearly the fervor that Microsoft's title did. Blacksite is being developed by Midway Studios - Austin, formerly known as Inevitable Entertainment. Due to Midway's declining financial standings in the past few years, Blacksite could be the game that puts them back on track.

Windows Vista drops tomorrow, and with it, DirectX 10. I would like to see them release the PC version of the game utilizing DirectX 10, but since there will very likely still be a lot of people running Windows XP (which is not DX10-compatible) by the time that this game is released, Midway could play it safe and stick with DX9 for releases for the time being. Being on the cutting edge is a wonderful thing---as long as it doesn't cost you customers. If Midway does aim high, planning on a Vista-centered release for the PC version of the game, there's the distinct possibility that this could be a cross-platform game. Actually, it would be borderline foolish for Midway to be daring enough to release a Vista-based game and risk alienating upgrade-reluctant customers but then overlook the option for PC gamers to play against console gamers, and vice versa. If they included cross-platform compatibility, they'd be one of the first to do so (Microsoft is of course leading the pack with Shadowrun).

While we don't know what they may do, we do know some of the things they intend to do. They intend to create a game in which the player is emotionally invested, making choices into more than just a decision based on curiosity, wanting to take the storyline in a certain direction based on a whim, or just to satisfy your obsessive-compulsive need to play the game through and experience every side of the story:

"The player’s modern-day emotions and fears are driven into a world charged with grave responsibility affecting lives hanging in the balance and eventually finding himself torn between his professional orders and his own ethical standards."

I'm interested in how they plan on emotionally involving players in the game, and if that's exclusively a goal for the single player mode of the game, or if they've somehow managed to make gamers online feel connected to the objectives (and not just their scores). Midway says that there will be a "powerful" single player campaign, and what Midway is calling a "multitude" of multiplayer modes for online gameplay.

The game is set in present-day in---you guessed it---the Nevada desert, where the world(galaxy?)-known Area 51 is located. Specifically, the Rachel, Nevada area. The player is placed in charge of a squad charged with fighting off the space invaders. Obviously, this would make Blacksite a prequel to Midway's vintage 1978 Space Invaders.

Blacksite: Area 51 is slated to hit shelves sometime this summer. Until then, we'll keep you updated.

- Glock

What does the future hold for Palm?

2007-01-27T23:03:00.000-05:00

Over the past several years the mobile market has literally exploded, and we have come a long way since the Apple Newton. Now companies want more than ever to combine as many devices as they can into one, along with developing a flexible user operating environment. There has always been a fierce battle between Microsoft and Palm for the control of the mobile sector, and it is hard to tell what the future holds for Palm OS. With added pressure from its rivals, Palm is trying to satisfy its business customers, as they will

"now provide automatic wireless delivery of e-mail, calendar, and contact information directly from Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or Exchange 2007."

Since Microsoft has this much influence in the computing industry it is hard to develop something that is unique and still holds a competitive edge against such a powerhouse. Of course, there is also an update that

"introduces another feature that's critical to IT administrators: security and central management. "

However even with all these improvements the article brings up a very important point: it is incredibly hard to dedicate thousands of dollars into something that might not be around in a year or two. Palm has a huge challenge standing before them; they need to convince those IT administrators that they are here to stay.

As unfortunate as it would be to fail in that, the home market looks even tougher to acquire a greater presence in. With the recent announcement of the Apple iPhone with its Mac OS, and the already strong Windows Mobile OS, Palm might just continue to spiral down until it is all but forgotten. Perhaps they need a product as revolutionary as the iPod to pull them out the ditch, considering that that was a life saving miracle for Apple. Or maybe they just need bolder management that has the ability to lead instead of follow.

Full story here.

How vulnurable are we?

2007-01-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

In most cases when a computer gets stolen it is rarely recovered and only the owner is "out of luck". But what if that computer had your information that you (directly or indirectly) entrusted someone else with? More and more reports are coming about computers that have huge numbers of personal data on them being stole, most recently

"A computer containing financial information on thousands of Vanguard University students and their parents was stolen from the school's financial aid office last week, officials said Friday."

This is something that can happen to anyone at any time, and the scariest part of it is that you don't have a way of preventing such a thing. In fact some people might not even find out until it's too late. In the 21st century computing has brought a lot of good into the world, along with a helpful boom to businesses and such. However it also carries a huge risk with it, as a thief can literally walk away with tens of thousands of vital pieces of information which could lead to millions of dollars in damage. It is always important to know who you are sharing your personal information with, but in cases like these all you can do is rely on the university or other second party to keep that information safely guarded.

Full story here.

A New Breed of PC Gaming

2007-01-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

Sometime soon, you may find yourself cursing the bots in your game and wishing for some good, old-fashioned, dumb A.I. That's because Arkane Studios (developers of Ubisoft's Dark Messiah of Might and Magic) is replacing the bots that we're used to battling it out with in single-player games with humans. The Source engine-based game, called The Crossing, is being marketed as neither single-player or multiplayer, but "cross-player", and if done right has the potential to revolutionize how we play games. Valve is working with Arkane to produce a first-person shooter in which you can have fun playing in story mode or hop online and get into a fragfest---player's choice.

Anyone who has been gaming on a PC for very long can tell you that PC title releases with strong, enjoyable single-player (story) modes have thinned out in the past few years. Half-Life 2, F.E.A.R., Doom 3, and Call of Duty 2 come to mind. Not a depressingly short list, but it's hard to deny the growing trend towards multiplayer gaming in recent years: out of the four titles I just mentioned, all of them have well-developed multiplayer modes, and you can even download the multiplayer-only version of F.E.A.R. for free. Players enjoy a good story mode game well enough, but there's a lot to be said for being able to get on and go to war with your friends, or at least some stranger who'll call you a hacker after you kill him seventeen times in a row. Cross-play gaming merges the two.

On the one hand you'll have Elites, players playing the game in story mode. On the other you'll have skirmishers; people just out to play as part of a group and maybe rank up. These skirmishers are what will replace traditional bots that the Elites would normally run into in story mode, be it as allies or enemies. Just like in regular single-player gaming, the "bots" (skirmishers) will be at a disadvantage in the game, but will make up for it in numbers. If a skirmisher logs off or wanders outside the area he's supposed to be in to act as a part of the game, he'll be replaced by an A.I.-driven bot until he can be replaced by a flesh-and-blood skirmisher. Skirmishers can play in a traditional online multiplayer fragfest against other skirmishers in addition to becoming part of an Elite's story mode game, and Elites have the option to play by themselves or in co-op mode with a friend. There's also the option for a skirmisher to join into a game as a mercenary---playing as a dedicated player-killer, much different from a group skirmisher's role in the game.

Microsoft's Games for Windows magazine interviewed the game's producer Raphaël Colantonio and art director Viktor Antonov (Antonov also served as Half-Life 2's art director); the interview is available for viewing at 1up.com.

Some developers may have been satisfied to merely introduce a radical and innovative new way to play your games, but Arkane's premise for the game is just as original as how it will be played. The story is set in modern day Paris, but in two alternate realities. In one, France's government has fallen apart and anarchy reigns the streets. In the other, the Knights Templar were never disbanded (in reality, they were forcibly disbanded in 1307), and maintain strict order in the city. The game takes place in both versions of reality, both of which are distinctly dystopian in nature. Arkane and Valve have a trailer out, which we've made viewable here, courtesy of GameVideos.com:

Regardless of whether or not Arkane and Valve can pull this off with a stable and balanced product, it's a bold and exciting step for the world of PC gaming as a whole, and that can only benefit you as a gamer in the long run.

- Glock

Blu-Ray takes a hit from HD-DVD

2007-01-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

It's hard for people to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a player they aren't sure will last through the next year. This is where each company will try to convince you, the consumer, that they are clearly winning and they have plenty of movie studios backing them. After the CES where Sony claimed they are the preferred choice by the majority of people, HD-DVD comes out with

"[HD-DVD] confirmed they will release more than 100 new film and televison titles in 2007"

This should definitely send a message to all the potential buyers out there that HD-DVD is far from losing this battle. It is probably wise to hold off on such a purchase until a half a year to year so you can see the general direction movie studios are taking, and which company they choose to produce their hi-def entertainment. However if you're the type of a person that wants the latest and greatest tech available it looks like HD-DVD is taking the lead from Sony, but in this market victories are short lived. That being said, additional confidence is being built among the HD-DVD team from what some may consider an unlikely source: the adult film industry. Credited with the success of VHS over the Betamax format, adult film companies have repeatedly and with few exceptions voiced their leanings towards HD-DVD (albeit tentatively---no one wants to have hopped on the wrong prediction wagon, not even porn moguls). Regardless, it's still a big enough question mark to keep us at Gamer Bait from buying a player any time soon.

Full story here.

~nubulicious

Halo 3 Beta for Sale Within a Month

2007-01-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

The Halo franchise has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name in Xbox's lineup since it debuted in 2001. Six years later, fans are drooling over the third iteration of their favorite console shooter. It wouldn't be much of an overstatement to say that there are a lot of people who would commit a few misdemeanors if it meant that they could get their hands on the Halo 3 Beta. Until now, breaking and entering may have seemed like the only way to be sure of getting a shot at playing the online beta. The only way you could get in was to either be a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq, or register for Microsoft's "Rule of Three" at the Halo3.com site. Registration would involve having been alive for seventeen years and a resident of North America, having an Xbox 360 Pro or Core system, an Xbox Live Gold membership, a copy of Halo 2, and staying up til just after midnight on the morning of Feb. 1st (EST) in order to register (registration ends Feb. 3 at 11:59 PM EST). Oh, and only 13,333 gamers would be able to register. Doesn't exactly sound like a sure thing, considering the popularity the Halo name has garnered in the past six years. But if you don't make the cut for whatever reason, there is now another way to obtain a ticket to the Master Chief Cooking Special...er, Beta.

You can buy it.

You'll even get a free retail game with it! On February 20th, Crackdown will hit stores. If you're interested, Tim over at Ctrl+Alt+Del has posted his thoughts on the Crackdown beta. If and when you purchase Crackdown, you'll receive a free pass for the Halo 3 Beta, according to IGN. So don't sweat it if you don't make the Rule of Three registration. Remember, this is America: you can always plunk down cash.

- Glock

Microsoft has some harsh words for Sony

2007-01-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

VS.

So if anyone is still wondering how well Sony is doing, this story should catch your attention. As a rule of thumb a company should not diss a competitor unless they feel that they are so far ahead that it won't come back to bite them in the end. And it looks like our good old friend Mr. Gates has joined the fray, saying Sony went the wrong way with their CPU choice.

"They took their year and burned it by not having a decent CPU strategy and then turning to Nvidia at the last minute."

Considering Microsoft is gambling with a new OS that is just around the corner---one with which the critics aren't terribly impressed---its hard to say who has actually burned the year. And a few days later Microsoft executives Peter Moore and Chris Satchell had this to say:

"It's going to take [Sony] a couple of years to get up to speed on this, and I'm not sure that they necessarily have the talent."

Overall, it's my personal opinion that the PS3 is one of the most underestimated consoles out there. Unfortunately a breakthrough in any kind of technology requires wide support from all the developers across the board. A smart pricing strategy would also have helped, due to a lack of one it's hard to tell if the Playstation will survive the years to come or just go down as another Dreamcast. Only time will tell.

Links to the story here and here.

~nubulicious

A Step Forward for Stepping Back

2007-01-24T19:49:00.000-05:00

Sony released the 1.5 firmware update for the PS3 today, which should make anyone who owns games for prior Playstation consoles positively giddy. Well, maybe not giddy, but placated at least. Why? Before 1.5's release, the PS3's backwards compatibility with PS2/Playstation games was painful at best, due to purely abysmal graphics. See for yourself here (video courtesy of Surrey.com; PG):

Glad they got that problem knocked out. Well, that's one less reason for not buying a PS3. I can still think of about six hundred more though...but that's me.

- Glock

A DX9 Game Worth a Look

2007-01-24T16:58:00.000-05:00

Here are 5 reasons to look forward to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. To be released in March '07.

oblivion-lost.de

Introduction

2007-01-23T19:25:00.000-05:00

Letters from the Editors

Readers,

Welcome to Gamer Bait. If you're here, I imagine that you're at the very least curious as to what this blog is about. Gamer Bait is the culmination of hours of musing and discussion between two everyday gamers, and a desire to share those musings with others. You'll know us by our callsigns, screen names, handles...whatever you care to call them: headstronGLOCK23 and nubulicious---I'm Glock. At the very least, we're gamers like you. At best we hope to be writers that you can count on when you want to read something dealing directly with your interests. So if you fancy yourself a gamer of any degree, bookmark us, maybe subscribe to our RSS feed, and settle in.

We plan on the scope of GB to be fairly broad, while remaining true to those things that interest the average gamer. We'd like to think that we can directly relate to a more mainstream community than some writers seem to be writing to these days. We're a couple of guys with regular lives, regular friends, and regular budgets.

Just like you.

We intend for GB to offer reviews of products of interest to us and you, how-to guides, opinions on current events, possibly some fiction, some humor, and anything else we can think of. Feel free to send us suggestions on what you'd like to see, and we'll take it into consideration. You can email us with ideas, praise, or criticism at gamerbait@gmail.com. We're already working on a few articles for you, so tell your friends about us, and check back often!

- Glock

Hey you:

What he said.

- nubulicious