first-impressions
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24 inch iMac first impressions
No, we didn't whip out the old TUAW corporate card and get ourselves a new 24 inch iMac, though it was very tempting. Paul Stamatiou, up and coming tech blogger, had to get a machine to use whilst his ailing MacBook was off being repaired. He did what any red blooded Mac user would, got the biggest iMac ever.Paul was kind enough to write up some of his first impressions. They boil down to: it is big, fast, and the speakers aren't very good though they are louder than previous iMacs.Check out the post for some great pics of this gargantuan iMac.
First Impressions: iPod nano 2G
I broke down in the name of TUAW and picked up a new 8GB iPod nano. Of course, running out of space for workout jams on my 1GB nano might have had something to do with the purchase as well. I've put this second generation iPod nano through the trials enough (including some Nike+ runs) to warrant a first impressions post. Like others who have already weighed in, I'm pretty satisfied, but there certainly are some (mostly iTunes 7-related) quirks.I'd post unboxing pictures and all the typical stuff, but others have already been there, done that. I'd rather touch on the other little things that make product evolutions like this so (well, mostly) sweet.
First impressions: buying a game from the iTunes Store
Scott beat me to buying a movie from the store and posted his first impressions, so I thought I would move on to the new games section (iTS link) of the store. The games work with 5G iPods (of which I am an owner) as well as the newly announced 5.5G iPods. I can't decide whether I'm surprised you can't play the games right inside iTunes, but this post isn't about my indecision, for I dropped some cash and bought my first game: Cubis 2 (iTS link). The way iTunes handles games is interesting, largely in part because you can't really do anything with them in iTunes - you can't even rate them or modify any of their metadata; they're only usable and playable on an iPod. Read on for all the details!
Next-gen Sega Rally: Damn good donuts
Two things I remember from my closed door look at the rebirth of Sega's famed arcade racer for PS3 and 360:1. Sega Driving Studio Director Guy Wilday's first and last name. It just rolls off the tongue. Guy Wilday. Guy Wilday.2. The dynamically deformable terrain will have you making more donuts than Krispy Kreme.
First impressions: Too Human
The big issue with Silicone Knight's Too Human is going to be the camera. It's completely controlled by the game, and you have to fight the urge to try and swing it around with the right analog stick when it gets in an awkward spot. It also likes to take a wide angle view leaving your human looking like an ant on the battlefield. The game puts you in the role of an Unreal Tournament-type warrior with the ability to make some pretty colors with a sword. You can bust out combos with the right stick and take out waves of insectoid enemies or dual wield a pair of laser guns and blow them away. The combo action is supposed to be super-deep but it didn't feel that way when I played. Pressing B at certain times launches your most powerful attack, which looks cools but unleashes a looong canned sequence. I assume you unlock more moves as you progress. The framerate hitched when things got crazy. Not sure why I keep thinking of this game as an RPG when it's the total opposite. Maybe the title is a little too esoteric. I'd call it a sci-fi 99 Nights with a little less foot traffic.
First impressions: Splinter Cell: Double Agent
The Splinter Cell series always set a graphics and gameplay standard on the original Xbox and the franchise's first attempt on the 360 continues to impress. This is one intense demo. It's starts with a literally mind-blowing execution sequence followed by the most harrowing parachute jump I've ever seen in a game. Ubisoft has gone for shocking violence with this entry. You can tell the guy in the pic above won't be dancing a jig any time soon, and his death convulsions before he finished the job with a grenade are a pleasantly disturbing touch. The initial gameplay will be familiar to Sam Fisher vets, although the controls probably need to be tweaked a bit. The level I played seemed to lean a bit more towards blowing people away than stealth, but I may have just been trigger happy. I appreciated how Ubisoft squeezed something to do into sequences that formerly would have been straight CGI. Overall, Double Agent oozes next-gen production values and looks to offer a gritty tale to frame the well-rendered blood and guts. It may be my favorite demo so far.
