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Swordfish Net 102 Dual: the first netbook with twin Atom CPUs
Alright, so we're going to go ahead and caution against buying anything that claims to have a "dual Bluetooth" module, but if you're feeling froggy, the planet's first (and probably last) dual CPU netbook has just been launched. Not dual core, mind you, but dual processor. The admittedly chintzy looking Swordfish Net 102 Dual claims to have a pair of 1.6GHz Atom N270s within, not to mention 2GB of DDR2 RAM, optional WWAN, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 10.2-inch display (1,024 x 600 resolution), a 160GB hard drive and Windows XP runnin' the show. It's available to order for the low, low price of $449, though we wouldn't expect the stock 3-cell battery to last very long (read: an hour) with a pair of CPUs sucking down juice.[Via Wired]
Joystiq Review: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
The very best games, the pinnacle of any media, really, are those with an ability to teach us something, however slight, about ourselves. This highest of compliments can be paid to 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. For Fiddy has taught me exactly how much I'm willing to forgive if a game has solid controls, great structure and a few really good ideas. %Gallery-21637%
Monumental buys 50 Cent team for (presumably) way more than that
Before the ink is even dry on its digital tattoos, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand developer Swordfish has been sold to MMO middleware developer Monumental. Don't expect to see the G-Unit team headed to the UK for a visit anytime soon though: Work on Mr. Cent's new game is apparently done, with its release being solely an issue of timing at this point.Ironically, though Blood On the Sand seemed poised to really get the Swordfish name out there, that name has just been changed. You'll be calling them Monumental Manchester when they start on their next project.
Blood on the Sand: the Burnout of shooters
In an interview with Xbox World 360 magazine (as reported by OXM UK), the producer of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, Julian Waddows, stated that he hopes Fiddy's new game will do for shooters what Burnout did for the racing genre. He adds further that he wants the game to do, "What Diablo did for RPGs. We wanted to take all that makes the genre fun and exaggerate it." An over-the-top, exaggerated shooter? Oh no, that's never been done before. Seriously though, we kid Blood on the Sand. After all, we certainly wouldn't wish any game to be bad. In theory, there's nothing wrong with Waddows hopes. We just hope that his hopes come to fruition. Otherwise, we'll probably just lose hope altogether. Editor's note: Since we're on the subject, let's get someone started on porting Diablo II to XBLA, mkay?
Fiddy's friend says Blood on the Sand "as good as Gears of War"
This should allay everyone's fears about 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. According to TeamXbox, a member of 50 Cent's G-Unit crew, Tony Yayo, has been quoted as saying that Blood on the Sand is "looking as good as Gears of War." Lofty words to be sure. Of course, given the source, we're a little skeptical. Fortunately, Yayo doesn't seem to be the only one impressed with the game, as TeamXbox also reports that Epic's own Mark Rein told CVG he was "blown away" by the game last year. In fact, even our own Terrence Stasse managed to enjoy the game during a recent Sierra event. Who knows, maybe Blood on the Sand will make us all forget about Bulletproof (or die tryin').
X3F Impressions: 50 Cent Blood on the Sand
When the first 50 Cent game was released, it wasn't exactly to critical praise, and many didn't think that it would be anything other than a footnote in the history of licensed games. Surprisingly, the game sold over a million copies and has a sequel well into development. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is following in the footsteps of its prequel with its focus on the characters and gunplay, but everything else seems to have been left behind. Despite the commercial success of the first game, it's reported that 50 Cent was unhappy with the first game, and wanted an entirely new team to work on the second game. Hence, Swordfish Studios took the reins on development, with the goal to create a game that was easy to pick up and play in a fun and arcady fashion. Our first impression upon being shown to the seats was "Wow, this looks a lot like Gears." And not just because both games are running Unreal Engine 3. The base gameplay of Blood on the Sand is almost an exact copy of Gears in every way, right down to the cover mechanic and melee activation. The movement is faster overall (to keep up the arcade feel the devs are shooting for) and you're definitely not in as much danger as you are in Gears. While there is a cover mechanic that allows for crouching, firing from behind cover, peeking around corners, and everything else you would expect out of a Gears clone, it's mostly unnecessary as the bulletproof vest your character wears is MUCH tougher than it looks (at least on the default difficulty).
X3F Impressions: World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
Real-time-strategy isn't exactly the largest, most well rounded genre on the 360, and while we have seen Lord of the Rings and C&C3 do relatively well on console, there still isn't any kind of breakout hit. While the appropriateness of RTS to consoles is debatable (as is the likelihood of there ever being a breakout hit) the games that choose to go that route are nevertheless getting better. World in Conflict: Soviet Assault will be the next big real-time-strategy release on 360 and it improves on the console-specific tweaks made to past console RTS games. First and foremost, the game's camera is not controlled like a typical RTS, where the angle is set, and the camera only zooms in or out. The camera is controlled exactly like a first-person-shooter, meaning that the player can aim the camera parallel to the ground if they so wish. It also means that any players who are coming from console FPS play will be able to feel at home much faster than they otherwise might. %Gallery-21638%
Warner's first HD-DVD/DVD combo disc, additional titles announced
HD-DVD is moving the movement, with their latest announcement that we will see the first back-and-forwards compatible movie hitting store shelves May 9. Rumor Has It (which I have never heard of) will contain a high definition version on one side and a standard definition DVD on the other. The second piece of good news is that it will premiere on the same day as the standard definition release. The bad news is that this hybrid disc is going to cost you $39.99, a 135% premium over just the standard DVD as eHomeupgrade points out.Also announced today for HD-DVD release are Goodfellas, Swordfish and Training Day, all of which will cost $28.99.Now we'll see if anyone is really interested in future-proofing their DVD library, especially at such a price. Blu-ray also has similar types of discs on the way; with neither format expected to gain that much traction in its first year, getting consumers to build up libraries of content and locked into a format early could be key. That said, content will mark the true victor in the next generation wars, and with the "special features" provided by Eva Mendes and Halle Berry I see where Warner is going early and I kind of like it.
Warner tees up HD-DVD, Blu-ray titles
The next gen DVD announcements keep on coming, this time we've got the list of titles annonunced by Warner Home Video for Blu-ray and HD-DVD, dates for the HD-DVD releases, none yet for Blu-ray. One title jumps out at me, Unforgiven. Only because I recall seeing For a Few Dollars more on Sony's Blu-ray release list. I love Westerns, but I didn't know they were in such high demand in high definition (or else I wouldn't have already bought so many boxed sets *sob*). Other than how quickly I'll be buying Swordfish in every high definition format available, other questions remaining include what kind of extras we can expect to see on either or both formats and how much it will cost us.Check after the jump for the full list for both.
