I don't have much to say to this one besides...yeah, Jackass is now a video game. For those of you that love watching the stupidest masochistic entertainment imaginable (and there's no judgment there--that's what they're trying to do!), now you can make people do the stupidest masochistic things imaginable. Isn't that great?

The burning question I have about this little gem is how did they manage to fit a physics and ragdoll engine in a PSP and DS game? No two attempts at a stunt will turn out the same way; it really looks like a person did something ridiculous and physics just sort of took over. (My favorite two examples of ragdoll physics: Stair Dismount and Truck Dismount, two simple but surprisingly awesome games. You can find downloadable versions of those games there, making this parenthetical the best part of this post!)

Don't expect the game to hold your attention like a good RPG or have the sticking power of an FPS: except it for the physical humor and deadly stunts that it offers. Thank goodness Chris Pontius is textured in game and not really wearing that tiger-striped thong. *shudder*

Fans of Jackass and people who always wanted to plummet from a skyscraper but never got up the nerve will love the game.

--Rancor

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

With Epic Games' Unreal Tournament III now available for PC, PS3 and scheduled to make an appearance on Xbox 360 in late spring/early summer, it's apparently time to toss the scraps to the traditional stepchild of the video games world, Mac players. News that UT3 as well as Gears of War would probably be coming to OS X in the near future is old news, but with overall sales of UT3 across all platforms coming in lower than expected the thinking of the powers that be must be why not get the Mac users in sooner rather than later.

As it is now the "early '08" release of UT3 on the Mac--which according to MacSoft's Ryan Gordon "will be developed natively instead of being ported over using Cider"--may actually beat the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III to the market, which is scheduled for May '08. So, all you Mac users with enough processing power to run games on the Unreal 3 engine--which includes Gears--take heart. You may just be getting a little more respect in the gaming world.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

There are a lot of keyboard-replacing PC controllers that claim to be able to amp up your game. Belkin's Nostromo SpeedPad line was one of the first to come out, and their n52 is still one of the most popular among hardcore gamers. It wasn't completely bug free--some units would have keys that would stick or fail, the thumb button was difficult to press, the scroll wheel wasn't terribly accurate, and you had to install drivers on any computer you wanted to use it on. Despite these problems, its ridiculous flexibility make it an extremely useful controller and mine still gets heavy use after almost 4 years.




After listening to their loyal users, Belkin has completed a major overhaul to the original n52. Dubbed the n52te, it appears to have resolved all the complaints about the older model. The backlit keys are more "clicky" and sit closer to the keybed, resulting in a much more responsive feel. The detented scrollwheel has been similarly reworked and rolls very smoothly. A hat switch has been added to the D-Pad, and it can now be pressed directly down like the analog stick on PlayStation controller. Pressing the thumb button above it no longer results in major sprains and a trip to the hospital either.




Belkin has made the new Nostromo SpeedPad n52te much more portable as well. The macro-able, customizable keys no longer require that their profiles be stored on your computer--they are all contained inside the unit. There are no separate drivers that need to be installed for it to work. Increased usability, portability, and ergonomics means that the n52te is a definite must-have for serious FPS or MMO players. The n52te ships out on January 20th, and you can preorder one now for .99.

-- Jon D.

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Belkin's killer app for gaming hardware, the Nostromo 52 Tournament Edition Speedpad (a.k.a. the n52te), has been pushed back to a January release. Hardware-wise, the newest version of the popular Belkin n52 gaming pad doesn't add much beyond the inclusion of SBL technology (SBL = "Sexy Blue Lighting"), but the n52 is a sturdy and popular workhorse and a little aesthetic spruce-up certainly won't hurt it.  Most of the actual improvements here are under the hood: the inclusion of onboard memory and Razer software allows the unit to store/modify/swap profiles for individual games, plus unlike its predecessor the n52te supports 64-bit Vista out of the box.

The n52te was originally slated for a November '07 release (and in fact the website still says it), but for those that expected to see one under their Christmas trees and wondered what happened, the controller won't actually hit the shelves until mid-January.  In the meantime, you can pre-order the controller or read more about it.

--Aric A.

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

I've heard that you can bet on anything in Vegas, so anyone with the with the right odds and the foresight to lay a few clams down on BioShock last night could have walked away a few dollars richer. Grabbing 'Game of the Year,' 'Best Xbox 360 Game' and 'Best Original Score' at last night's Spike TV's Video Games Awards at Mandalay Bay, Big Daddy and crew pretty much cleaned house. Other heavy hitters such as Halo 3, Rock Band and The Orange Box were also recognized in multiple categories. If you are looking for a good game for a last minute gift it doesn't seem possible to go wrong with anything on this list.

Check out the full list of winners below:

Game of the Year - BioShock
Studio of the Year - Harmonix
Best Shooter - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best RPG - Mass Effect
Best Military Game - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best Individual Sports Game - Skate
Best Handheld Game - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Best Graphics - Crysis
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show - The Simpsons Game
Best Rhythm Game - Rock Band
Best Driving Game - DiRT
Best Action Game - Super Mario Galaxy
Best Team Sports Game - Madden NFL 08
Best Soundtrack - Rock Band
Breakthrough Technology - The Orange Box/ Portal
Best Xbox 360 Game - BioShock
Best Wii Game - Super Mario Galaxy
Best PS3 Game - Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Best PC Game - The Orange Box
Best Original Score - BioShock
Best Multiplayer Game - Halo 3
Most Addictive Video game Fueled by Dew - Halo 3

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>