Recently, Yamaha sent me their latest iPod dock, the Yamaha PDX-60. It’s a stereo system that allows users to stream songs wirelessly from their iPod or iPhone, from anywhere within the receiver’s range, using their new wireless technology called yAired. I’ve never owned an iPod dock before, so this was an all together new thing for me, and turned out to be a wonderful experience. The system is incredibly easy to use. In fact, there’s only two buttons on the front of the speaker, a volume up and a volume down. The dock automatically powers on when you place your iPod / iPhone in the dock and of course, charges while its in there.

Now, in my fine opinion, the only proper way to truly test a sound system like an iPod dock, is to blast some serious, party-rock music. So Andrew WK’s I Get Wet was my album of choice to test the capabilities of Yamaha’s dock. Because seriously, if a stereo system is incapable of blasting classic tracks like She Is Beautiful, Party Hard, and Ready To Die, then I simply want nothing to do with it.

So does Yamaha’s new iPod dock pass the The Wolf’s test? Hit the jump for some more impressions and photos of the dock in action.

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Video game arcades are all but dead here in America, but in a magical place called Japan not only do they still exist, they are still the place to check out the newest games before they hit the console market. Tekken 6 for instance was released in Japanese arcades November 2007, and was later revised in 2008 as Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion. Tekken 6 was originally scheduled for a 2008 PS3 console debut, but was delayed an entire year with a very controversial announcement at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show: that this would be the first installment of Tekken NOT to be exclusive to the Playstation hardware. As far back as I can remember, Tekken was Sony’s flagship fighter much like DOA for the Xbox hardware. This all just seemed weird to me, like the first time I saw Sonic in a Nintendo game.

Tekken 6, which combines both Japanese arcade versions, was released in the US on October 26th for the PS3 and Xbox 360, and later this month drops on the Sony PSP. For this review I will be covering the PS3 version exclusively, and I will tell you how to win a copy of the Xbox 360 version later in my review.

The first thing you notice when you put in your disc is the gorgeous intro, which as an old-school Tekken fan, it was great to see my favorite characters updated for the current console generation. It’s been 3 years since Tekken 5 graced the PS2 and a lot has changed. This game looks beautiful to say the least. I remember seeing screenshots and thinking it can’t look that good, but it does indeed. The backgrounds are amazingly rendered and at times, very interactive.

There are 3 main modes of play in Tekken 6. Scenario campaign (Similar to Tekken Force) which is a story mode beat-em-up style fighter that not only manages recap every Tekken game’s storyline but makes it coherent and make sense as well, which is a feat in and within itself. Then there are 2 arcade modes online and offline, which should be familiar to anyone that has played Street Fighter 4. The online play I found really smooth and the load times were pretty good even if you didn’t have the game installed on your HD. The matching system is based on a very well instituted ranking system so you don’t get in a match you have no chance of winning. (more…)

The Fourth Kind is a docu-horror film made up of “real” footage and sound clips from an incident in Nome Alaska where residents who were having sleep issues, turned out to have been possibly abducted and experimented on by extra-terrestrial beings from another planet. As the film has been screened the Internet has been hotly debating as to whether this footage in the film is truly real, and not simply a Blair Witch inspired hoax. Web searches for the individuals named in the film seem to come to dead ends or viral websites that have disappeared as the release date for the film slowly approaches. The trailer and poster both state that the story is based on “actual case studies,” but does not specify which cases. As I write this review for the film, as far as I know the filmmakers have not yet come forward to say the film is a hoax, and it has not been proven one yet as well.

The Fourth Kind is not your standard Hollywood fare, and shares more in common with the current docu-horror phenomenon Paranormal Activity, than anything that has come out of Hollywood in quite a long time. The story focuses on Dr. Abigail Tyler who came forward with the material for the film some time after the events took place. The meat of the story exposition is told through an interview Dr. Tyler did on a Chapman University talk show. It is further elaborated through police videos from squad cars, videos of therapy sessions, audio clips and reenactments.  The reenactments star Milla Jovovich as Dr. Tyler, in a role that I think really gave her more of a challenge than her usual zombie killing fare she is known for – and one she surprisingly pulls off well.  Dr. Tyler is a grief stricken psychologist, trying to overcome the death of her husband who was recently killed in a home invasion. She attempts to work through this by throwing herself head first into her and her husbands’ work as means to escape her grief.

It’s during this work interviewing traumatized patients, that she discovers quite a few people in the town suffering from sleeping issues seem to be having the same experiences and hallucinations. They all note seeing a white owl outside of their window at night.  This revelation is what starts the plot moving in a very slow yet methodical style, which keeps you going until the very end. Since this is supposed to be based on real events, the film is not paced like a normal film and doesn’t offer a normal payoff either, but I don’t think that it hurts the film at all. There is also a lack of gratuitous exposition that you normally find in American films, which I found very refreshing.

more and the rating after the jump!

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I am not going to lie, I am a huge comic book fan and have downloaded countless comics and apps for reading them on my iPhone. After all, we all want that magic device to carry all of our media around with us wherever we go and the iPhone is fast becoming that device.  I also should say most of the comics on the app store quite honestly really aren’t that great. They usually fall into 2 categories either the art is super slick and the navigation is incomprehensible, or the you get the complete opposite – where the art is pretty bad and the user interface is pretty well thought out. But you never seem to get that happy medium with independent comics on the iPhone.

Well last week the guys over at StopWatch Media were nice enough to give me a copy of their complete original graphic novel for the iPhone platform, The Carrier to see what I thought of it. StopWatchMedia are local to the Philadelphia area and this is their second iPhone app to date. The Carrier is much different than your standard graphic novel you would download for the iPhone or iPod touch where it is more of an experience than simply reading a comic like most comic apps 0r e-readers simply are.

The Carrier story is told in real-time and this starts as soon as you download the app. Not all the chapters are available to you as soon as you download it, but you must let the story unfold daily as new chapters are added. The story is further told through emails and text messages you receive as well in real-time with the story. The app even uses your location to trigger content as well. It’s a very interactive and well thought out experience.

The story in The Carrier follows Peter Lawson, who wakes up in Thailand with no memory and a titanium briefcase locked to his arm. We don’t know what exactly is in the briefcase or why Peter has no memory, but we do know a lot of people want the briefcase and Peter.  Because of this we are introduced to several scenarios as to what the motivation and explanation behind not only what is in the briefcase but what Peter’s true intentions were at the beginning of the story is as well. Was he just a hapless scientist caught in something much bigger than himself much like the man with one red shoe? Or, is Peter part of a terrorist cell, and is this all going according to his master plan to unleash a devastating virus on the planet?(insert evil diabolical laugh here)

More and how to win after the jump!

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I should probably start this review off by saying I am a huge fan of Astro Boy both the manga and his many anime incarnations, and when the opportunity to catch an advance screening of the film this weekend came up, I jumped at the chance. Astro Boy in his most recent incarnation is the all new CG family film directed by David Bowers(Flushed Away) and starring Kristen Bell(Gossip Girl) as Cora, Nicolas Cage as Dr. Tenma, Freddie Highmore(Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate factory) as Astro Boy and Samuel L Jackon in a short but memorable role as the giant robot Zog. The film is loosely based on the manga of the same name by Osamu Tezuka(Bonus points if you can spot his caricature in the film sporting his trademark red beret and round glasses). Osamu Tezuka is kind of like the Walt Disney of Japan, and Astro Boy is his Mickey Mouse. Astro Boy is such a beloved character in Japan, that in 2003 his birthday in the manga he was made a resident of Niiza, Sitama and it’s about time this character got some recognition stateside.

The plot of Astro Boy is very similar to manga, a few details have been changed here and there but the basics are there. Astro starts out the film as Tobio, son of Dr. Tenma head of the Ministry of Science. One day in a tragic accident while testing out a new energy source the Blue Core(which is an energy source capable of limitless power) he is killed. Dr Tenma a genius stricken with grief decides to recreate his son Tobio using the power of the Blue Core, only he is not the same as his deceased counter part. After some soul searching Tenma rejects Tobio who then must find his true purpose in life. While the story seemed to “loosely” keep to the Astro Boy story, it did seem to borrow a bit heavily story-wise from another manga Battle Angel Alita.

For a kids movie plot-wise Astro Boy is rock solid and everything seems to connect in some way or another. There really isn’t a lot plot introduced that doesn’t seem like it belongs, like some films aimed at kids.(where random things seem to come out of nowhere for some sort of tie-in or happy meal) I found the plot while not being quite as frantic paced a film as Speed Racer it accomplishes what it sets out to do in a very fast paced manor. The story is very well done and doesn’t pander to the audience they are trying to entertain, nor does it underestimate their ability to enjoy a movie that isn’t simply beautiful pictures and silly songs.

More Astro after the jump!

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I’ll be honest. When Philadelphia’s publisher of all-that-is-quirky, Quirk Books, announced they would be publishing a follow up their New York Times best selling book Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, entitled Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters… well, I was both excited and concerned. The trailer was hilarious and built the hype, but was Quirk just banging out a quick book to keep up with the trend, or is Sea Monsters yet another quality text?

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies was absolutely wonderful and hilarious. I brought the book into my college English classrooms and read passages to my students. The book managed to maintain the most powerful literary elements of Austen’s work, while becoming something all its own. After-all, the book was 85% true to the text, with only 15% digressing into zombie madness.

Now along comes Ben H. Winters, a Brooklyn native, with his foray into the Austen spoof. Instead of Grahame-Smith’s zombies, Winters gives us “giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, swashbuckling pirates, and other seaworthy creatures.” And instead of the smaller ratio of new crazy content, Winters’ dishes out nearly half.

Well, there’s a reason it’s out of stock on Quirk’s website. The book is a riot, and absolutely worth the purchase. Winters’ proves that Quirk wasn’t just piggy backing off the success of Zombies, but instead, giving us an awesome series of rewritten texts to look forward to. That’s right, this isn’t the last in the Quirk Classics series, and I can’t wait for the next one. The book is available now in stores, and I suggest you grab a copy.

However, for those of you cheaper folks, you might want to try to win a well-read copy of the book. Leave a comment and name your favorite sea-monster. I’ll pick one at random and ship out the book next week. Geekadelphia likes to share.

Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters
Out Now via Quirk Books
www.irreference.com/sense-and-sensibility-and-sea-monsters

Ever wanted to be able to solve a problem using anything (and we mean anything) you could think up? Welcome to the ultimate sandbox game on the Nintendo DS, 5th Cell’s Scribblenauts. This quirky not-so-little number by the now famed developer literally allows you to create just about anything you could imagine to solve its hundreds of puzzles.

To break it down a bit, the game could be described as a series of critical thinking problems. Think of those word problems in your math classes, but subtract the boredom and numbers. Well, you do need to be mindful of Maxwell’s (that little dude in the rooster hat up there) par, or the number of objects you can create before losing the maximum available reward in Ollars, the currency in the world of Scribblenauts.

The game is separated into 10 worlds each containing 22 levels with 11 action stages and 11 puzzle stages (that’s 220 levels for those who don’t like math). The action stages present a Starite (the goal of each level) immediately, but require you to reach it using the notepad or type mechanic. However, the puzzle stages present a problem for you to solve, using the creation tool, in order to make a Starite appear. More specifics after the break.

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Recently I had the chance to check out 2 episodes of the upcoming web-based comedy series House Husbands, not to be confused with the reality show House Husbands of Hollywood currently airing on the Fox Reality Channel.  The basic premise of the show goes like this – Brian, played by Jeff Witzke shows up for work one day, only to be most unceremoniously laid-off from his job. Upon finding this out he does what any guy would do and calls up his two best friends Mark(a stay at home dad-played by Michael Cotter) and Tommy(who just likes to stay home and play Halo 3-played by Darren O’Hare) for a bit of comfort and a bite to eat. At that fateful meal he decides that he is not going to tell his wife that he has been laid-off, out of fear of what might happen to him. He also decides, because he has 6 months of severance pay and finding a job in the current economic climate maybe a bit difficult that he is going to spend that time hanging out with his friends and seeing what is on the other side of the looking glass.

House Husbands follows this geeky trio as they roam the female dominated world of domestic engineering and yes, hilarity does indeed ensue. One thing I immediately noticed about the show was the focus on a demographic other than the 18-24 year old, which I found very refreshing. All the characters are seem to be comfortably married and some with kids, yet they still play videogames and make Star Wars references. It was nice to be watching characters not only could I identify with, but whom I could see myself in some of the same situations.  One scene that really kind of stood out to me was, Brian and Tommy who are waiting for Mark while he visits a pre-school are having a lightsaber duel using iPhones and the Lightsaber app outside in the parking lot. I am over 30, and yes I have done this.

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The cast of The Guild

Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you have some sort of crush on Felicia Day. And you know what? That’s okay. I’m not judging you. She’s adorable in that quirky-nerdy-girl sort of way, there’s no denying that. In my opinion, her online sit-com, The Guild, is easily the most hilarious show to hit the web since Red Vs. Blue.

Seasons 1 & 2 of The Guild hits shelves September 29th, and Geekadelphia was fortunate enough to receive a copy, courtesy New Video NYC. I suppose the big question is, why buy a web TV series that you can watch for free online? I mean, The Guild in its entirety is available on their official website and on YouTube. This question is what I felt warranted a little write up about this DVD.

Aside from the ability to watch these shows in the comfort of your living room on a large television, which is a definite plus for those of us who don’t want to download episodes off Xbox Live, it’s the special features that make this DVD worth purchasing. Audition footage, interviews with the cast and the crew, and some truly hysterical, swear-loaded gag reels are just the icing on the special-feature cake. There are PDF files of the actual scripts, audio commentaries of Day and the cast… there’s just a wealth of entertainment here, giving you a few more hours of enjoyment out of a web series that only has 3 to 7 minute episodes. And that’s impressive.

On another random note, while looking for images to go along with this post, I stumbled across The Guild’s Flickr page. It’s full of behind the scenes photographs, pictures of the cast cosplayed as their in-game characters, and even some of Bladezz’ “modeling” photography. Way too funny. Have a look.

When the DVD hits shelves, it’ll run you about $20, and preordered off Amazon, $15. Worth the price. Go pick it up.

Meet Rubi Malone. She makes Lara Croft look like Punky Brewster.

Last week, I was thrilled to find a copy of Wet, the latest release developed by Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) and published by Bethesda, sitting in my mailbox. It was hard not to be excited. I enjoyed the demo, adored the brilliant viral “Shot At Love” video, and have a crush on Eliza Dushku, who voices the main character. Awesome.

Wet tells us the story of Rubi Malone, a mercenary-for-hire who finds herself wrapped up in black market organ trades, underground drug cartels, back stabbing mob bosses, and murder. Over the course of her adventure, she’ll leap and dash over buildings like the Prince in Prince of Persia, dodge bullets like Inspector “Tequilla” Chen in Stranglehold, and wield double pistols, shotguns, and sub-machine guns in slow motion like that dark tortured detective in Max Payne.

Wet shows off some gorgeous scenery

And she’ll do all this with the visual flair of a Quentin Tarantino film, complete with the soundtrack to match.

So? Has the studio who gave us the masterpieces that are Oblivion and Fallout 3 gifted us by publishing another piece of brilliant gaming? Or has A2M managed to disappoint, continuing their track record of titles like Indiana Jones & The Staff of Kings?

Read on to find out!

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The HP Mini XP Netbook – As Photographed on my Couch

Ah, HP. It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced one of your computers. My parents used to have one of your PCs back in the 90′s. It was a 486, and I spent a lot of time taking it apart, playing Day of the Tentacle, and lurking around in AOL Chat Rooms. What? Don’t judge me! I was young, foolish, and in love. Her name was PrincessBlu32, and… hey, wait, a minute. I don’t have to explain myself to you, HP! I’m here to review your new netbook.

Hewlett-Packard recently sent me their new Mini 110 XP Edition netbook, a small, sleek, and surprisingly powerful little computer. With a large (by netbook standards) 10 inch diagonal screen, 160GB hard drive (what!), 1GB of RAM, built in Wi-Fi and SD card slot, three USB slots, a webcam, and a nearly full size keyboard, there is a lot to like about this little fellah.

HP’s webstore describes the 110 as “the perfect companion when you’re on the go. Whether you’re at home, around town, on campus, or across the country,” and I’ve got to say, they’re absolutely right. This little guy weighs in at a little more than 2 lbs! It also comes with Windows XP installed, a brilliant move on HP’s part. If it had come with Vista… well, I doubt I would have been able to turn it on. Thanks HP, you made the right choice.

Rory The Bun Approves of HP’s New Netbook!

Now, when HP emailed me the gift card to purchase this little machine, there were some significant funds leftover. Thanks to their kindness and generosity, they allowed us to spend the extra funds on several brand new printers that we’ll be donating to local in-need institutions. Updates on that in the coming days.

As for the netbook, full review with additional photos after the jump!

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If any of you read my previous article on Avatar you know I was walking into this 16-minute preview cautiously optimistic. I mean I had a strange feeling about this film, that you couldn’t judge this one by the trailer alone. Mainly, because the main selling point of this film is the 3D Theater Experience and how great it is. Which if you think about it is really hard to convey in a 2D trailer that you watch on your computer screen or a review for that matter.

I arrived promptly for my screening and was given a pair of your standard IMAX 3D glasses, which I really liked compared to most standard 3D glasses I have received when going to 3D movies. This is because they actually are designed to fit over your glasses, if you happen wear them. This I noticed was a point of contention online, where some people were saying that you didn’t need glasses to watch Avatar, or that the glasses would be different. Nope they are the same polarized glasses you normally get. Once we were seated and put on our glasses we watched an intro by Cameron(which was also for some reason in 3D) who told us the basic setup for the film and that all the scenes we would be seeing would be from the first act of the film, and shouldn’t really spoil the film for us.

We saw 4 scenes in total from the film, and these were truncated versions of the same ones shown at SDCC. The 3D while being spectacular, I can’t go as far as some reviewers by saying “it’s like a dream”. Another reason I feel I didn’t get the full effect could also could be a product of how we viewed the scenes, it took a minute or two for the 3D to take you in and the scenes abruptly ended and cut to black instead of somehow flowing the scenes together.  I found this very jarring and really felt it took you out of the moment.

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