G4 TV - TheFeed

Veronica Belmont Co-Hosting AOTS Tonight

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Judging from the title and picture of this post, you should be able to figure out that the Veronica Belmont will be co-hosting Attack of the Show tonight with Web Soup's Chris Hardwick. If you don't know who Veronica is, then check yourself: she's the co-host of Tekzilla and was even featured as one of the beautiful ladies on G4's Women of the Web special. It's set to be an epic show as always, but this time, Veronica and Chris will cover Gadget Pr0n, awful Break Moments in De-Evolution and the infamous "Weird Al" Yankovic.

So tune in to Attack of the Show tonight at 7:00pm ET to watch all the goodness unfold.

Morning Hangover -- Anyone Suffering From Modern Warfare 2 Fatigue Already?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Welcome to Morning Hangover -- an excellent way to start your day with the crew at TheFeed...no matter what you're recovering from. Every morning you'll hear musings from our editors and have the chance to share your thoughts on what's going on in the gaming world.

In the past few weeks, I've written countless stories about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Up until last night, I hadn't even played the thing yet! As I'm writing this -- the night before Morning Hangover actually publishes -- I haven't even picked up my copy of the game yet from down the street. But, to be honest, I'm a little burnt out on talking about Modern Warfare 2...even though I haven't even stared playing it yet. There's little doubt in my mind that Modern Warfare 2 won't end up being an incredibly memorable experience, but the amount of noise about the game makes me want some counter-programming. Anyone else avoiding Modern Warfare 2 for a little bit, while the buzz dies down?

[image credit: flickr / Kamala Dolphin-Kinglsey]

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare -- The Story So Far

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:17:00 -0800

For the first time ever, a Call of Duty game follows the same plot as its predecessor. Forgot what happened in COD4? Check out this quick X-Play refresher before jumping into Modern Warfare 2:

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Five Other Wars Call of Duty Should Explore

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:58:00 -0800

World War II was an awesome video game war: Moral clarity, an easily identifiable enemy, and a stunning victory for the forces of Freedom and Goodness make great fodder for a first-person shooter. That’s why game developers flocked to The Good War in such numbers, while largely ignoring Vietnam. But Dubya Dubya Two isn’t a bottomless pit of material. Even the makers of Call of Duty eventually tapped the mine and went on to other, imaginary, conflicts for their game series. But we want historical shooting back, so to help out Infinity Ward, TheFeed would like to present its list of five wars we think would make great Call of Duty games. (Contributions by Andrew Pfister, Stephen Johnson, and Sterling McGarvey.)

Number Five: The First Afghan War (1838-41)

In the first Afghan War, Britain, the undisputed world super-power at the time, was forced to retreat from an occupation of Afghanistan by poorly armed native inhabitants. It’s perfect for a game because nothing like that could ever happen again, ever. Plus no one really remembers it, so you could stick lasers in there or something.

Number Four: The 90s East Coast/West Coast Rap Feud (c. 1992-97)

While technically a "beef" and not a traditionally declared war (the Clinton administration's biggest failure), The Rap Wars had a low body count but a killer soundtrack. Getting the O.G.’s involved to collaborate might reignite the whole thing again, though. It would be worth it just to take Souljah Boy as a POW, and to see if either side would be willing to claim Kanye (Illinois being the equivalent of Switzerland, after all).

Number Three: The War on Drugs (In progress!)

It could be like Clear and Present Danger, only without those stupid words getting in the way of shooting people in the face. Cities besieged by violence, ineffective and corrupt police forces, politicians in the pockets of the cartels...this stuff is happening for real just across our southern border, and we know IW isn't afraid to push the topical (and controversial) buttons. And for the sake of authenticity, they could keep it going forever with expensive DLC. Not only that, forcing your stereotypical CoD player to eliminate drug dealers and burn up pot fields sends the irony factor through the roof.

Number Two: The "Star" Wars (A Long Time Ago)

Oh, wait, we already have a new next-gen Star Wars Battlefront. OH WAIT, NO WE DON'T. Oh wait, we already have an updated version of Dark Forces/Jedi Knight. OH WAIT, NO WE DO NOT. Oh, wait, we already have a recent X-Wing vs. TIE...now I'm just making myself cry. Just because George nuked the franchise with the prequels doesn't mean that the original trilogy still isn't worth exploring on the most powerful hardware available. Plus, the phrase "Wookie Perks" makes me giggle.

Number One: The War We're Going To Have With Chile, "Super Korea," and Canada (2028 - ?)

Did you happen to see the closing price of Random Length Lumber on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange last Thursday? The warning signs are there, people. Wake up.

Vote for the Next Woman of the Web!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:55:00 -0800

G4's search for the next Women of the Web continues, and now we need your help.

All you have to do is register for the site (seriously, you haven't done this already?! Shame!), watch the one minute videos of each girl expressing why they should be the new Woman of the Web, and then rate your favorites. It's as simple as that.

Here's the hard part: you've got until Monday, November 16th to rate the videos so practice those mouse clicking skills and rate away!

Tech Review: Mvix Ultio MX-800HD Media Center

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:45:00 -0800

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Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn give your digital media the full home theater experience with the ULTIO MX-800HD Media Center which supports HD video codec, streams video from your PC and download straight from its built-in torrent client, all for only $170.

What You Need To Know

The Media Center is a hybrid between a home theater PC and a network attached storage.
Basically, it's a media storage hard drive for your home entertainment system.
Users can network between the ULTIO and your computer via a router or wireless connection (with an adapter) to watch videos on your TV that would normally live on your desktop.
It supports a variety of video codecs, like mpegs, MOVs, AVI and even DIV-X.
Set up is as easy as plugging the ULTIO into your TV with the HDMI cable, and then connecting it to your computer with an Ethernet cord.
This means you don't have to burn your files to discs.
The navigation isn't too bad, even if it doesn't look very user-friendly.
Once you get into the system, the interface leaves a little to be desired: it's pretty bland and very similar to navigating an FTP server.
You navigate with a remote, which is slow if you're typing in log-in info or renaming files.
File management is pretty easy: you can copy, paste, delete and transfer files between the Mvix's hard drive and your computer.
It also supports universal plug and play for things like Play On.
There is a built-in Bit-torrent client, which works so-so when streaming content.
You can only access the client through your PC, which takes away from the computer free experience.
You can stream video from Hulu, Netflix and YouTube directly through Play On but it's $40 for the program.
The video quality is good: the ULTIO can playback in full 1080p so it allows you to take full advantage of your TV over your computer monitor.
However, if you're watching podcasts for the Internet, then not so much.

Price

$170.00: This would be a good purchase if you're looking to watch video files or stream video to your television. However, if you already have a 360, PlayStation 3 or Blu-ray player, then you might want to reconsider.

Rating

3 Seals of Approval out of 5. (How do we rate gadgets?)

Want something reviewed on Gadget Pr0n? Email us your suggestions to gadgetpron@g4tv.com.

Final Level From New Super Mario Bros. Leaked. Are You Going To Watch?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:33:00 -0800

For those of you who are genuinely looking forward to Nintendo’s upcoming platformer-reimagining New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii, you have a serious question to ask yourself right now: Do you or do you not want to see how to beat the final level/boss of the game? I’ll let that sink in for a second, so that you don’t rush into anything you’ll regret later and then blame me for…

Ok. So Nintendo Everything has posted a video that shows off the final level of NSMB being played in the new Super Guide mode, which basically lets you watch the game play itself while you have a snack or something. It’s a full run through of the level, so if you watch the video, you will know exactly how to beat the final section, and you’ll know exactly what happens after you do so. I’ve posted the video after the jump so that you don’t see even the slightest glimpse of a spoiler unless you decide that’s what you want.

My other reason for doing this is to get a quick and dirty estimate on how you all feel about game spoilers. This latest example might not carry the weight or significance that the leaked airport sequence from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 did, but it still represents the same idea. Why are people so eager to ruin game narratives/sequences/twists/etc.? Is itt because the Internet just makes it so easy? Are you someone who prefers to find out about a game’s story before you play it, or do you prefer to let the story unfold before your eyes as you play?

Do you feel differently about movies, novels, or TV shows? Would you gladly spoil MW2 for someone, but smash your face into a wall if someone told you how the last season of your favorite show ended before you'd had a chance to watch it? If so, why the double standard?

I’m fully aware that I’m being somewhat hypocritical here, criticizing people for spoiling game stories while including a video that does just that, but I’m doing it to see just how serious you all are about your stance on this issue. Granted, no one is playing NSMB for the story, and the “spoiler” isn’t surprising in the least, but you see my point.

SPOILERS AFTER THE BREAK! If you don't want to see even a frame of the video, scroll to the bottom of the page immediately once you click through, and you should be spoiler-free and ready to comment on how pure of heart you are.

How many of you watched the video? Were you shocked and appalled?

Source: Nintendo Everything

Saints Row 2: Ultor Exposed Is The Xbox Deal Of The Week

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:00 -0800

I debated whether to post the trailer below that announces that Saints Row 2 DLC, "Ultor Exposed" is the Xbox Live Deal of the Week this week. On the one hand, I like the Saints Row series. It's no Grand Theft Auto, but it's worthwhile for a couple hours, and "Ultor Exposed" is 30 percent off the regular price this week -- that's a pretty good deal. But on the other hand, the video is in terrible taste, and really appeals to the lowest desires in gamers and humans in general.

So I'll let you decide. You're an adult, right? If you are an adult, take a look at the video below, starring Tera Patrick, and tell me whether this kind of purely sex-driven advertising is a good or bad way to market games.

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Dragon Age: Origins Combat System Developer Diary

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:53:00 -0800

Many of you RPG lovers out there have no doubt been pouring in countless hours exploring the vastness of and slaughtering your way across the fantasy landscapes of BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins. But for those of you who are still debating about whether to commit or not, here’s a helpful developer diary focusing on the game’s brutal yet sophisticated combat system. You might want to wear some goggles or a poncho or something though. Things get kind of messy up ahead:

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Nostalgia (DS) Review

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:48:00 -0800

Do you need a new RPG for your DS and fancy whimsical trips through simplier times? Perhaps you dream of being a chimney sweep while listening to Decemberists records and placing coins on the eyes of your deceased loved ones? Then Nostalgia might just be for you! Michael Thomsen has the review:

"You’ll play as Eddie, eager son of English adventurer Gilbert Brown. Gilbert disappears after a surprise meeting with a strange woman in the Tower of Babel. When word reaches Eddie that his father has gone missing, the Victorian scrapper sets out on a mission to find him. After a few hours of collecting mysterious allies for your adolescent dirty dozen, you’ll discover the conspiracy of the Cabal, who are chasing around the world collecting the scattered pieces of a key that is purported to open the gate to heaven."

Click here to read the rest of the written review and see the game's score!

Magna Carta 2 Review

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:36:00 -0800

Magna Carta 2 is a Japanese-style RPG that has a lot of the standard elements that go with that kind of experience, but also adds a few new wrinkles to the mix. But, does that mean it's a quality experience?

Well, according to reviewer Allen Rausch:

'Innovation isn’t necessarily the hallmark of a great game. There are plenty of examples of games built around unique concepts that failed in their implementation. There are also games that don’t innovate at all, but are so well executed, they’re still outstanding titles. Unfortunately, Magna Carta 2, a Japanese-style RPG from Korean developers Softmax, falls into neither category.'

Check out the full written review and get the score for the game here.

Significant FIFA 10 Manager Mode Glitch Reported By Players, EA Currently Silent

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:20:00 -0800

Electronic Arts has already issued a post-launch patch for FIFA 10, but problems remain. Reader Justin Duke alerted me in the direction of a major glitch this morning that currently plagues the game's "manager mode," which allows FIFA 10 players to build a team from scratch. The problem? Once you've taken a team through a single season, an in-game economy glitch won't let you keep going.

"At the end of every season you can switch teams," explained Duke. "When looking at your option of teams it will tell you the team's budget for buying new players. In my case, the lowly team I was looking at had a budget of around $600,000. Once you pick your team and it does the scheduling, your team now has a budget of over $2 billion, and no matter what you do that number won't change. This essentially makes the mode impossible to play because you can't make any improvements to a team."

Duke isn't the only person to have this problem. It's all over the official FIFA 10 message boards and GameFAQs boards, a glitch players seem to have just regrettably accepted as reality.

"It's an MM [manager mode] bug," said one user on EA's boards. "One of many."

G4 writer Sterling McGarvey did not encounter this glitch while paying FIFA 10 for review.

Users have even come up with elaborate means of avoiding the glitch in lieu of a real fix.

"Keep your autosave on to have two save files," said another FIFA 10 player, also on EA's message boards. "Create one for the first season, then create a new one for the second season...switch back and forth between them every few games and you won't have to rewind a whole season."

There may be good reason for players to move on, too. EA hasn't acknowledged the problem. I contacted EA about the glitch this morning and have so far received no response from the publisher. If and when EA decides to release a statement about FIFA 10's manager mode issues, I'll pass it on.

In the meantime, if you've experienced this or other glitches, drop me an e-mail with details.

Have something to share? Have a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Spec-Ops: Evasion

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:03:00 -0800

Picture it: You and a buddy are creeping along the frozen ground as a sprinkling of snow falls down around you. You spot a flashlight flair up ahead, the silhouettes of two guards and their killer attack dogs loom out of the whiteness in the distance. You settle your sights on the first guard, while your friend targets the dogs. With a quick signal, you both fire, and take out the patrolling soldiers, clearing your path to the next set of evil jerks to murder. Yeah, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s Spec-Ops (Co-Op) mode is that kind of awesome. Video evidence submitted for your approval:

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Around The Net 11.10.09

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0800

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There is a time for everything. For example, the airing of Around the Net signifies that it is time to laugh your ass off at funny videos featuring dog perverts, harpists who love heavy metal, soccer players who have lost their marbles and Death Star gunmen with horrible aim. This is the way of things in life's ebb and flow.

Find the direct video links from Around the Net on Attack of the Show after the jump.

Break.com: Unconscious Guy Humped by Dog

YouTube: Iron Maiden Harp Cover

YouTube: Dog in AT-AT Costume

YouTube: Fire When Ready

ESPN: Pony Tail Takedown

Super Street Fighter IV Trailer Highlights Update's Slew Of New Features

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:06:00 -0800

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It's looking more and more like Super Street Fighter IV is becoming the game everyone wanted Street Fighter IV to be. Additionally, Capcom seems to be bringing back a bunch of unexpected classic Street Fighter hallmarks and overhauling systems that could have easily stayed the way they were.

Are you being convinced by Capcom's argument in favor of releasing Super Street Fighter IV next year?

The publisher just released this new trailer highlighting what's new.

Assassin's Creed II Home Sweet Home Developer Diary

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:04:00 -0800

For Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft Montreal has improved and expanded practically every single aspect of the previous installment in its acclaimed franchise. In this latest developer diary, the team discusses the two “homes” that players will be jumping between in the game: Renaissance Italy and a creepy lab in a creepy future. Both locations will offer distinct and meaningful gameplay challenges that will undoubtedly keep the game from ever feeling stale or predictable.

Next Tuesday needs to be here yesterday.

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Be Feedback's Question Of The Week!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:44:00 -0800

Love it or hate it, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is here and everyone is playing it. Obviously, the game's going to be a major point of discussion on this week's episode of Feedback, but it won't be the only thing we're talking about. As per usual, in one segement, we give you guys the power to control Feedback. If you have a question for the Feedback crew, drop in it the comments. I'll be reading.

BONUS! Questions that aren't answered on Feedback are also eligible to be answered in Andrew Pfister's new weekly mailbag special (it runs every Friday), Reply To All. If you aren't picked for Feedback, there's always a chance Andrew will pick up the other good ones for Reply to All.

Reminder: All questions require readers to have an avatar associated with their profile!

Rachel McAdams The Black Cat For Spider-Man 4?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:43:00 -0800

Will The Black Cat be dropping in on 'ole Spidey in the upcoming fourth Spider-Man film?

One can never accuse the production of Spider-Man 4 of failing to feed the rumor mills. It gives Batman 3 a run for its money, and ironically enough, very few people are actually excited for the film. Its rumor mills have become a calorie-loaded artery-clogger of a deep-fried fast food serving that we just can't stop eating. (It would have killed that Super Size Me guy in like a week.) The latest rumor, of course, seems to be no exception.

According to Mania, "reliable sources" (meaning some anonymous party, not the CNN Sunday talk-fest) are telling them that the one and only Felicia Hardy, aka The Black Cat, is set to be in the mix, and that actress Rachel McAdams is in talks to take the role. (Take a second to fight through the grease-related indigestion on that one.) In fact, it is being said that the beautiful Red Eye and Wedding Crashers star has already met with producers and will portray the Black Cat very much as the romantic (or potentially romantic) interest for which the character served in the comics.

According to Mania: "Our sources tell us that the Black Cat's story fits well with Raimi's Spider-Man formula, which always finds the villains troubling not only the costumed hero, but also becoming entangled in Peter Parker's personal life as well."

The Black Cat was originally conceived in the late 70's as a female antagonist for Spider-Woman. However, creator Marv Wolfman was then moved to the main Amazing Spider-Man title, where he decided to implement the character there. While the relationship dynamic between her and Spider-Man often begs the criticism regarding its similarity to that of Batman and Catwoman over at DC Comics, there is a certain nuance that makes it unique. The Black Cat (like Catwoman) is a nocturnal-working cat burglar, who is often depicted as a "tweener" in regards to her good/bad ambiguity. However, she is genuinely more focused on a romantic relationship with Spider-Man and more often finds herself on the side of good. This desire often puts the relationship into a kind of flux where, at times, it is actually reciprocated by Spider-Man (or is one-sided and delves into unrequited "stalker" territory. Ex: Her quest to get real superpowers so that Spider-Man will accept her as an equal. Do I smell a pet rabbit boiling on a stove?)

Exactly how this will factor into a film in which (we can only presume) Spider-Man will deal with his former Professor's transformation into the vicious, iconic villain, The Lizard? (Which is evidenced by Dylan Baker signing on to return to the film series.) Do we need any more anachronistic romantic messes after Spider-Man 3's stunt of bringing Bryce Dallas Howard's Gwen Stacy (Spidey's girlfriend who is famous for being killed in the comics by The Green Goblin) into the mix? I would hope that Sam Raimi will not be pushed into yet another situation where he is forced to take on villains that have no conceivable place whatsoever in the actual script. **cough**Venom**cough**

Obviously, this is but one of a myriad of rumors regarding the film. However, the possibility of a push for multiple villains is a very realistic concern. Given how much will be required for this fourth Spider-Man to redeem the series, let's hope that this (prospectively final) Raimi outing in the franchise will be able to shine and cap-off what will hopefully go in the books as an overall solid series of films.

Source

What Do You Think Of Modern Warfare 2? Give Us Your Impressions!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:32:00 -0800

The wait is over. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out. Let's get right to the point: we're going to be talking quite a bit about Modern Warfare 2 in the coming days and weeks, but today is the first day we're able to tip the tables. So, tell us, what do you think of Modern Warfare 2?

...or are you one of the unfortunate ones sitting at work, desperately waiting to pop the disc in?

Modern Warfare 2 Team Deathmatch Footage

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:20:00 -0800

Part two of our continuing series of videos to make you wish you were playing Modern Warfare 2 is a look at Team Deathmatch on the Estate map. Included in this video: the Chopper Gunner killstreak reward.

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(Seriously, why are you watching this instead of doing it???)