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UltimateAVmag makes "Best of the Year" picks
Considering the subjective nature of any "best of" list, it's always enjoyable to toss out results and watch onlookers pick apart the decisions. That being said, we're thrilled to have yet another list of winners at our disposal, this one crafted by the folks over at UltimateAVmag .com. The highlights include JVC's DLA-HD1 as projector of the year, Sony's 70-inch KDS-70XBR2 as RPTV of the year, Revel's $35K Ultima2 Studio2 System as speaker setup of the year and Onkyo's TX-SR875 as AV receiver of the year. In an interesting move, Sony's PlayStation 3 was chosen as disc player of the year due to its "speed and reliability," and Toshiba's HD-A30 took home budget product of the year honors. The standout victor in all of this was Pioneer's PDP-6010 KURO plasma, which isn't at all surprising considering the reviews. Granted, this isn't the first time a Pioneer PDP has grabbed the gold in similar competition, but this particular model snagged flat-panel of the year and product of the year medals on its way down the red carpet. For the complete rundown, be sure and tag the read link, and don't hesitate to throw in your two pennies below.
Best of the best: the first revolution
Everyone has an opinion about what makes a good game. You've got one, we've got one (or several, as there are several of us here), and the reviewers, they all have their own preferences, too. Sometimes, however, those opinions all just seem to coincide, and then we know a game is truly something special. As part of our celebration of the first year of the Wii, we thought we would do a comparison of the best-reviewed games released for the system alongside our picks for the top games. Sometimes they overlap, but we slipped in a few extras that we feel just might be worth your time.
Wii Warm Up: Best of the 'Cube
Yesterday's discussion was just so damned good that we felt a need to continue it. For those of you who didn't have a GameCube (shame), by now you've had a chance to discover some of the system's real gems, like the game pictured in yesterday's post, Eternal Darkness. For those of you who held steady with Nintendo throughout the GameCube years, there was a lot to love, despite the system's occasional bad press. So tell us: what were some of your favorites? What do you still recommend to friends?
Wii Warm Up: Your top three
Now that we've comfortably settled into life with the Wii (almost a year!), surely three games at least stand out above the pack.The question is ... which three? Are you gonna toe the hardcore Nintendo line and call Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, and Metroid Prime 3 the stand-outs? Or are you gonna bang the drum for Zack & Wiki, maybe? What are the three best titles so far on the system, in your opinion?
Panasonic's TH-50PZ700U plasma becomes 'best ever tested'
While we've seen Consumer Reports take a gander at a number of HDTVs before, it's been a tick (or maybe "forever" is more fitting) since it's seen "the best flat screen ever tested." Believe it or not, Panasonic's 50-inch TH-50PZ700U plasma was actually the recipient of such sensational praise, and such luxuries as the 1080p resolution (oooh) and its ability to "reproduce the finest details, rich vibrant colors and deep blacks" (aaah) apparently set it way ahead of the pack. Additionally, the screen was so impressive that reviewers actually stated that it "lent an almost three-dimensional look to images," which we figured was only possible with a pair of truly gaudy glasses. Welp, guess we all know which HDTV you're getting next, eh?
Wii Warm Up: Metroid Prime 3 not included
Every week we discuss what we're playing, but that doesn't mean we're necessarily discussing the merits and flaws of particular games. Besides Metroid Prime 3, for those lucky enough to be in regions that already have it, how do you feel about the games you've played recently on the Wii? What's been the best about them, and what's been the worst? Let's compare notes.
Wii Warm Up: Has Metroid set the standard?
We're willing to go on record stating the Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is about the best thing we've slipped into our Wii so far. Wii Sports was a great introduction to the console, and certainly made great use of the motion controls, but we have to go with the richer, fuller experience the latest Metroid has to offer. In fact, now that we've seen something so fantastic, our standards are likely to be a little higher. Are we alone in this? Fun is fun, certainly, so we'll still love anything that's a good time, but for anything that claims an epic experience, Corruption is setting the bar pretty high.
Wii Warm Up: E3 -- your thoughts
This year's E3 had a lot of ups and downs. First and foremost, of course, there was the changed format ... and second, Nintendo's presentation and news seems to be pretty polarizing among fans. Some people thought the show was a win, and others are less convinced. We're interested in knowing how you feel about the show over all, and your favorite news and video items from the coverage. Go ahead. Spill. After all, we showed you our ending thoughts.
CNET unveils its top-rated HDTVs
Yeah, we've already let you guys voice your opinion on the best HDTV out there, but now its time for CNET to dish out an updated version of the "top-rated HDTVs regardless of type, technology, brand, or size." Taking a respectable fourth is the Samsung LN-T4665F, which was praised for its excellent shadow detail and beautiful styling, while the Pioneer PDP-5070HD managed to squeeze into third thanks to its accurate color decoding and impressive array of inputs. The first loser (or runner-up, depending on perspective) was the Mitsubishi WD-65831, which was dubbed "as good as it gets" in the 65-inch range for those not savvy with high-end plasma pricetags. Unsprisingly, Pioneer's stunning PRO-FHD1 took top honors due to its excellent detail with 1080-resolution material, deep blacks, and all around excellent picture quality. Of course, this very set also took home the gold in an earlier showdown, so if you've been teetering on how to blow wisely spend $8,000 or so, the choice seems pretty clear at this stage.
The absolute worst class duo
Our reader Josh wrote to us with an common and practical question, saying that he said that he and his girlfriend are looking forward to starting two new alts together and they would like to know what the best classes would be for leveling exclusively together, with no solo play in between. He said, and I quote: "what would the greatest, most face melting/ass kicking/uber pwnage duo in WoW look like?"Now, fortunately for Josh and his girlfriend, we've actually been asked this question before, and anyways this sort of topic comes up lots and lots and lots of times in one way or another. I'm happy to refer them, and all interested parties of two, back to those posts with comments from our insightful readers. Of course if you feel something has changed since those topics last came up and there's a new best duo in the game, feel free to let us know here!But in order to give this post some kind of interesting spin, how about we advice them what not to do! What would be the absolute worst class combination imaginable for two people to level with? It's not as easy as you think -- As our class encouragement breakfast topics have shown so far, each of the classes has their own form of face melting, ass-kicking uber pwnage, and they all seem to have abilities that complement each other, no matter who they're paired with. Still... there has to be a less-than-optimal combination in there somewhere, right?Ideologically, you'd think that paladins and warlocks just would not mix at all, but no, that's not true! Actually they work great together. From my own experience, I remember practicing as a 2vs2 arena team with a mage friend, who is an excellent player, but we still didn't do very well at all. I know it could be just because I may be a terrible druid, or my gear may not be good enough, but it's actually the only time in this game that I've ever paired up with a friend only to feel that maybe our class abilities didn't complement each other well. I thought that if I could level my rogue to join her we might be a lot more successful, but my friend thought that I just needed more practice. Maybe there is no worst class duo! What's your experience?[Check out the girlfriend's answer in the last panel of this great Penny Arcade comic above, and take it as a warning not to choose for your duo a new class that you like toooooo much, or else you might not be able to resist soloing with it when you have free time and your partner doesn't!]
Ocarina of Time voted 'Best Videogame' by Edge readers
UK gaming magazine Edge recently conducted a poll searching for the 100 best videogames of all time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out as top dog, while A Link to the Past settled into sixth along with two Mario games cozy and warm in the top ten. OoT is one of five games to receive a flawless 10/10 score from Edge. It was also the first to achieve a perfect score from Japanese magazine Famitsu. The entire list will be published in a special issue of Edge magazine in the near future. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Resident Evil 4 Super Mario 64 Half Life 2 Super Mario World The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Halo: Combat Evolved Final Fantasy XII Tetris Super Metroid
Ask WoW Insider: Best DPS class?
Welcome to Friday -- the end of another week and time for another edition of Ask WoW Insider, where we ask the questions you want answered! Last week, we talked about what the best healing class was and this week we're considering a similar topic: the best DPS class. Today's question comes from Stèphanò of Aggramar (US), who writes, simply: Which classes can dish out the most DPS and which ones make the least amount of DPS?Good question -- and I'm betting that our readers are all going to have completely different answers for you. Rogue? Hunter? Mage? Warlock? Readers, which class would you say does the best DPS in Azeroth and beyond?Ask WoW Insider loves getting your questions! If you have a question you'd like our readers to tackle, send them to ask AT wowinsider DOT com!
Wii Warm Up: Best of the best
This should be a pretty easy one -- of everything released so far on the Virtual Console, what's been your favorite? What have you not minded spending money on? We've been talking about the VC all week, so of course this question just begs to be answered ... and we expect a hot debate. So let's get it on!We fully expect to hear a lot about various Zelda titles and maybe a few Castlevanias (we better hear some Castlevania) and perhaps an F-Zero or two, but surely someone will make JC proud and name Ninja Spirit or something.
Tekken and Jeanne join Japan's Best lineup
It shouldn't come as surprising that two of PSP's best games is joining the Japanese "The Best" budget lineup. Each game will come at the discounted price of 2800 yen. Jeanne d'Arc will be re-released on July 5th, and Tekken: Dark Resurrection will come a week after. North American gamers will be able to get a taste of Level 5's latest SRPG, Jeanne d'Arc, later this summer.
Japan receives new additions to budget lineup
Budget conscious importers can cheer as Japan's "The Best" lineup continues to grow. While American gamers rarely get new additions to the Greatest Hits lineup, Japan's offering has been far more generous. The newest batch of titles to enter budget status include the following: Magna Carta Portable Valhalla Knights Super Robot Taisen MX Portable Boku no Natsuyasumi Portable World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 Ubiquitous Evolution It's evident from this update that Japan sure does love their role playing games. The games will be priced at 2800 yen ($23) and will be available starting June 28th. Let's hope that other divisions of Sony will learn and add some more budget titles as well.[Via Siliconera]
DS Daily: Welcome, new DS owners!
We're sure that a lot of you are just getting back from stores, where you picked up your $19.99 Konami's Best Edition DS Lites. We're glad Konami solved that DS shortage, and at such a budget price! Welcome, new DS Fanboys, to the fold.We thought it was a little presumptuous of Konami to label the whole system as "Konami's Best", but we must admit, a lot of Konami's best work has been on the system-- two Castlevanias, Lunar Knights, etc. We can accept that. So what do you think about your new systems? And are any of you existing DS owners getting one at the budget price?
Best Buy whips out mad dealz
Seriously. Best Buy is having a small-yet-appreciated discount on a few of the Wii launch titles. The following reductions should have already taken place: Red Steel - $29.99 (formerly $49.99) Super Swing Golf - $29.99 (formerly $49.99) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - $39.99 (formerly $49.99) Perhaps not the finest of titles, but the significant price-cuts to RS and SMB might convince gamers who were on the fence to take the financial plunge. Any of you guys out there going to finally pick one of these titles up? Can we come to your house and play with you (we work for cookies and the occasional mixed drink here)?[via GoNintendo]
MASSIVE clearance at Best Buy starts today
If you're near a Best Buy store, gather up your $2 bills and get going, because they're in the midst of an epic videogame clearance, and you'll want to get there before the unscrupulous speculator types grab all the stuff to sacrifice to the ravenous eBay. You've got to be wily to get to the goods before the FatWalleters and the CAGs!There aren't any Wii games on clearance, but there are plenty of Wii-compatible Gamecube games. We've got a list of all the Gamecube software on sale after the break. Don't expect to find all of it-- most of it has been out of stock for months or years at most stores, and the price changed to clear out remaining copies. But we hope you do find what you're looking for in abundance. And we hope we can make it to Best Buy soon enough to luck into our own copy of Chibi Robo.[Thanks, ali emamdjomeh!]
Today's most inspiring game video: the 1000 Mii March
More Miis than you can shake a stick at in this virtual onslaught of avatars. Would it be annoying or funny if we actually made sounds like that in real life if we walked ... nay, paraded around town? We can only imagine that it would get extremely boring after awhile. Plop, plop, plop.No one knows what these Miis are marching for, but let us all hope that it's for a good cause. If these Miis turn evil, there will be no stopping them. Miis rampaging in the streets, wrist straps torn off left and right and being used to garrote people, mass hysteria.And Joystiq, for one, welcome our new Mii overlords. We'd like to remind them as a trusted gaming website, we can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their plastic, shiny utopias.
LocoRoco joins The Best in Japan
Sony loves promoting the friendly blobs of LocoRoco. Although the game a lot of critical acclaim, it still hasn't garnered the sales warranted by such quality. Well, Sony's not giving up yet. Sony has announced that the game has entered "The Best" status in Japan, which is similar to America's Greatest Hits program. The game will be reissued as a budget title on February 22nd for the low price of 2800 yen. LocoRoco joins other recent additions to "The Best" series, such as: Initial D: Street Stage, We Love Katamari, Metal Gear Acid 2, and Bleach: Heat the Soul 2. Hopefully, we'll see our American version reach budget status soon.
