via dsfanboy

We gamers are hard on puzzlers, but we can't help it -- we've seen so many great ones, particularly on handhelds. Thus, it takes something really phenomenal (or at least really addicting) to rack up notable scores. Unfortunately for Konami's Honeycomb Beat, it looks like a mixed reception. Fortunately, the low price -- Honeycomb Beat weighs in at just $20 -- may make it a safe bet for puzzle addicts.

Game Informer (70/100) found the game fun, but awfully slim on features. "I liked puzzle mode the best, but wanted a little more. There is nothing else to this game. I guess you get what you pay for, but even at $20 it would have been nice to see a two-player mode."

Games Radar (70/100) thinks HB is engaging, but could do more: "Honeycomb Beat's pretty damn fun for what it is, but can also be maddening mostly because the difficulty spikes about halfway through the Puzzle Mode. Still, it'll give your brain one hell of a workout without having to shout "Blue" repeatedly into the DS' mic."

GameSpy (40/100) thinks it feels half-finished: "Although these two modes are very different and require different strategies, there's not a whole lot to them. The gameplay also isn't engaging enough for extended play sessions. As soon as you start growing tired with the two available modes, the lack of variety really starts to become apparent. A few extra modes would have gone a long way in extending the life of this one."

We're sensing a theme here. ...

via dsfanboy

We gamers are hard on puzzlers, but we can't help it -- we've seen so many great ones, particularly on handhelds. Thus, it takes something really phenomenal (or at least really addicting) to rack up notable scores. Unfortunately for Konami's Honeycomb Beat, it looks like a mixed reception. Fortunately, the low price -- Honeycomb Beat weighs in at just $20 -- may make it a safe bet for puzzle addicts.

Game Informer (70/100) found the game fun, but awfully slim on features. "I liked puzzle mode the best, but wanted a little more. There is nothing else to this game. I guess you get what you pay for, but even at $20 it would have been nice to see a two-player mode."

Games Radar (70/100) thinks HB is engaging, but could do more: "Honeycomb Beat's pretty damn fun for what it is, but can also be maddening mostly because the difficulty spikes about halfway through the Puzzle Mode. Still, it'll give your brain one hell of a workout without having to shout "Blue" repeatedly into the DS' mic."

GameSpy (40/100) thinks it feels half-finished: "Although these two modes are very different and require different strategies, there's not a whole lot to them. The gameplay also isn't engaging enough for extended play sessions. As soon as you start growing tired with the two available modes, the lack of variety really starts to become apparent. A few extra modes would have gone a long way in extending the life of this one."

We're sensing a theme here. ...

Foofoo posted this news at his site:




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The Media manager gets another release and this time has support for PS3 too.

Heres whats new:

General:

Relook picture form
Add PS3 movie encoding
Manage picture:
Relook picture form
Manage movie:
Corrected some bugs MOV files encoding
Add PS3 movie encoding
Convert movie to PS3 format with bitrate and resolution selection : 640x480 to 1920x1072
Add PSP firmware 3.30 (with movie encoding on 720 x 480)
Configure path:
Add PS3 movie encoding
Add PSP firmware 3.30 (with movie encoding on 720 x 480)

Download Here ...

It's the middle of the afternoon and we're sitting in absolute pitch black trying to eat what feels and tastes like some kind of duck curry. The reason we're fondling round a plate in the dark is because we're about to get a long-awaited hands-on with The Darkness - 2K Games's upcoming comic-based supernatural shooter. Beforehand though, we're having lunch in a place called Dans Le Noir, a restaurant where you eat in absolute darkness, for larks. See what the event organisers did there? Those clever PR people.

Those black tendrils replace the HUB and show health/dark power.
Even with the crushing panic attacks, the numerous stains down our front - having blindly tackled a pudding - and the endless recurring flashbacks of stifling, claustrophobic horror every time we shut our eyes, it was still worth it. You see, The Darkness is shaping up to be one of this year's most imaginative titles - but then we'd expect nothing less from Starbreeze, developer of the excellent Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Despite only playing a three-level demo, we came away from The Darkness feeling suitably impressed.

Full Article at IGN ...

It's no secret that 2007 is going to be a big year for online shooters. Shadowrun, Unreal Tournament 3 and Team Fortress 2 are all to hit shelves before the year's end, and Splash Damage's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will likely see retail release as well. We say likely because during a recent play session with the title, neither id Software nor Splash Damage representatives were willing to specify an exact date. Rather, they repeatedly told us it'll be done when it's done, and were focusing on a 2007 release for PC. As for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, little information was available. Console gamers can expect the versions to be content identical to the PC, and be finished when they're finished as well.

While id Software and Splash Damage were hesitant to talk about their high profile shooter competition, they were more than happy to talk about the PC version of Quake Wars. The game is structured much like Splash Damage's 2003 free multiplayer download Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. As either Strogg or Global Defense Force, you pick one of five classes, each with its own special abilities, and fan out with your team over each of the game's large maps. Before hopping in you'll need to review the map objectives, since they're more complicated than going prone under a flag until it's captured. On a map called Sewer, the GDF need to break the Strogg's hold on a sewage facility in Japan, a process undertaken in stages. First, the GDF need to send an Engineer class to construct an EMP disruptor outside the facility to gain access. Next, a few Soldier class players have to swarm the facility and plant explosives on sewer grates to bust into an underground area. Finally, to secure victory, a Covert Ops class is required to hack the plant's main controls.

Full Article at IGN ...

via ign

With Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix + Re: Chain of Memories at last out in Japan, Tetsuya Nomura and crew can now devote all their energy to their next project. And that appears to be another Kingdom Hearts game, or at least another tie-up with Disney. But is it Kingdom Hearts III?

Speaking with Japan's Gemaga and Dengeki PlayStation publications, Nomura gave a few hints on the new project, which he's previously hinted would see formal announcement later this year.

Gemaga asked if the characters who appear in the new CG "secret movie" that has been added to Final Mix are from the new title. "They are people who have some relation to the new series. However the next title won't just be Kingdom Hearts III. If it were III, we wouldn't call it a new series."

Asked if Sora and Riku would make an appearance in the new game, he said with a laugh, "I can't say." He also hinted that the new game would have something to do with Xehanort, the main villain of the Kingdom Hearts series.

He was just as direct when Dengeki PlayStation asked for some details on the new title. "First, it's not Kingdom Hearts III. Of course, because we're calling it a 'new' series, it won't be KHIII. Also, it's a series, so it probably won't be just one title."

Nomura once again promised an announcement of the new game, whatever it may be, some time this year. In the meanwhile, he suggested that players attempt to unlock the Final Mix secret movie and starting imagining. ...

New release for the Xbox Homebrew Scene of the Mario Deathmatch game, heres whats new:


Download at usual places ...

Blah has released a new version of the Apple Mac emulator for the GP2X


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...