Pads & Panels

#4 L.A. Noire (PS3, 360, PC)

Publisher: Rockstar Games – Developer: Team Bondi, Rockstar Leeds

Our Review

Every year, Pads & Panels list of top games is dominated not only by quality titles but also by a special few that try their damndest to reinvent what we can expect from mainstream games. It’s no surprise that Rockstar Games has found itself perennially among those special few. This year’s offering from the publisher is L.A. Noire. In addition to a ridiculously detailed recreation of 1940s Los Angeles and a plot worthy of its name, L.A. Noire works to reinvent what we can expect from gaming by pioneering facial technology that allowed its creators to add in-depth, emotional interrogations to what might have otherwise been a simple third-person action title. The DLC support for the title cannot be ignored, but even without it, L.A. Noire would stand out as one of the year’s absolute best. (more…)

Product: C5 In-Ear Headphones

Company: Bowers & Wilkins

Retail Price: $179.99

Review By: Bill Jones

The technological advancement of mp3 players has made listening to our favorite music on the go easier than ever, but at what cost? The mp3 files we play are essentially compressed music files, so we lose a bit of quality in the playback. And those white earbuds that come with Apple products are actually pretty decent, but they’re far from perfect. So companies have offered their own solutions for audiophiles looking for something more from their portable tunes.

Bowers & Wilkins is the latest in the line of manufacturers to offer its take on the solution to that very problem. The company has made a name for itself over the course of more than four decades with its hi-fi audio designs, catering to natural studio sounds. But the company has only previously offered one headset, in the noise-isolating P5s. So the in-ear design of B&W’s latest, the C5, is a first for the company. Luckily, the company was nice enough to send a pair of headphones our way to give them a try. (more…)

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We’ve had a slew of contests so far this year, but none have really catered to fans of iPhone/iPod Touch gaming. Then Konami came along and was all like – Hey, we’ve got this new rhythm game for the iPhone and iPod Touch called Rhyme Player, in which players tap the lyrics of a song in sync with the music. Would you guys like to give away a few redemption codes? We, of course, said, “Sure, that’s very kind of you Konami.” It might not have gone down exactly like that, but fact is we have three redemption codes for Rhyme Player courtesy of Konami, and we’d like to put them in your virtual hands by tomorrow. So read below for more details. (more…)

Title: Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Platform: iPhone

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Rating:

Review by: Thomas Braaksma

Sonic has left Mario behind for his latest venture on the iPhone. Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a stripped down version of the Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games series. There are only four events, and only Sonic and friends are available to play. The events consist of figure skating, curling, snowboard cross and skeleton. The snowboard cross and skeleton games use the tilt steering of a typical racing game on the iPhone and bring nothing new or exciting. Curling might be the most entertaining, but with animation breaks it becomes tedious. The skating game uses the touch screen to trace and tap to control the skater, which gets old fairly quickly. The selection of characters is wide, but feels halfhearted without the Mario universe and the lackluster selection of games. Sonic at The Winter Olympic Winter Games comes out of the starting gate with much potential, but comes in dead last if players are looking for a game with lasting appeal. Sonic fanatics might find a place in their heart for this Sonic title, but it will loose the interest of other gamers very quickly. (more…)